


The Usurpation War, Book One: The Wider World

by MetroidMan101



Series: The Usurpation War - A Minecraft Series [1]
Category: Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Blood and Injury, Fantasy, Far Lands, Gen, Invasion, Magic, Mild Language, Multi, Nether, village raid
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-12
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:47:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 79,597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26960872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MetroidMan101/pseuds/MetroidMan101
Summary: An heiress to the throne of a noble house, taking things into her own hands. A common builder, in service to her through thick and thin. And a young man who has been alone for years, struggling to move on from his past friendships. These three unlikely heroes must come together when the land is faced with a crisis.Centuries after the death of the Ender Dragon, in an era where Steve and Alex have become heroes of legend, the world of Minecraft is threatened by an invasion from the Far Lands. The mysterious order calling itself the Usurpation Army seeks to conquer all using Genesis Cores, artifacts of unknown origin which grant their wielders powers over nature. When the three protagonists discover one such item, they must avoid the Usurpation's clutches as they scramble to get it to safety.
Series: The Usurpation War - A Minecraft Series [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2126877
Comments: 2
Kudos: 16





	1. Introduction, and Better Late than Never

**INTRODUCTION: THE INVASION**

The palace was in an uproar.

Celia Lumis darted and weaved between an endless crowd of frantic personnel- guards, janitorial workers, advisory staff, representatives from other city-states far and wide, and more- as she raced down the corridor.

“Excuse me! Pardon me, I must get through!”

She didn’t wait to see if the two soldiers escorting her were keeping up as she pushed past the various bodies in her way. So omnipresent was the confused panic that she, the Countess of Luxmouth, was paid very little mind. Though Celia didn’t listen to any of the worried conversations around her, a few choice words reached her ears.

“...invasion…”

“...no clue where they came from…”

“...unusual tools…”

“...magic orbs...”

“The Duke has to be informed!” someone shouted.

 _“I’m sure he knows already,”_ she thought. _“But I need to be there with him!”_

Her mad dash brought Celia past chamber after chamber until she reached her destination: a large set of double doors presided by two more iron-clad guards. Though visibly as unsettled as everyone else, they saluted and stepped aside, allowing her access to the throne room within.

“Father!”

Xavier Lumis, Duke of Luxmouth, sat with his head bowed. When he looked up at Celia, she stopped in her tracks before even crossing the doorway; her father looked for all the world like he’d aged several years in the span of an hour. His head of short, pale red hair seemed grayer, and the unfazed wisdom Celia had grown accustomed to seeing in his eyes was absent in favor of uncertain trepidation. Nothing had ever elicited such a reaction, not even the news of an occasional raid on a small outlying village in the countryside.

_“If I didn’t know better, I would think he’d just been told the forces of the Nether were at our very doorstep.”_

As it was, she didn’t know what exactly caused him such anguish- only that she, as Countess, would have to assist him through it however she could.

“Everyone in the palace is panicking!” she exclaimed, finally willing her legs to carry her into the throne room. Various advisors and representatives looked at her as she passed by, but she didn’t pay them any mind. “What’s going on? Is it true we’re being invaded?”

Her father stood, flanked by a quartet of guards in full diamond gear.

“Celia. Come with me, please. I will explain everything on the way.”

She dutifully fell into step beside him as he exited the chamber. They and their escort made a left down the hall, then a right at the first intersection. Celia wasn’t sure where he was leading her, but she also wasn’t about to ask. That answer would come soon, no doubt.

“We’ve received news that has caught all of Luxmouth by surprise,” he said in his deep, aged voice. “An unknown enemy force has overtaken many of the smaller territories to the north, conquering them faster than news could even be delivered. It would seem messengers were intercepted before word could spread, until a lucky few managed to escape.”

“An unknown force?” Celia asked. “But how can that be? We and our neighbors have maintained good relations with one another for many years; who would risk uniting us all against them?”

Her father sighed.

“These people have not been identified as native to any of the nearby states. In fact, we know very little about them at all.”

At the end of the corridor, they took another right, and she finally understood where they were going. Another set of doors and iron-garbed soldiers gave way to her favorite, and the largest, area in the palace: the garden.

“Do not disturb us,” her father said aloud. The guards stood at attention, waiting by the door as they entered.

One could have mistaken it for a small forest biome. Three chunks long and wide, abundant with plant life, and even featuring an artificial river, the garden contained denser flora than could be found anywhere in Luxmouth’s inner or even middle districts. The area was covered by a stained glass dome through which sunlight gleamed, creating a magnificent harmony between natural beauty and sheer crafting talent.

 _“I always come here when I’m feeling stressed,”_ Celia mused inwardly, _“but Father hasn’t brought me here just for ease of mind, has he?”_

Beyond its aesthetic value, the garden served a practical purpose: food production. Crops of all varieties were planted within, and in the span of a single day up to five harvests could be made. Feeding a city as Luxmouth was no easy task, but the sheer amount of food required from its farms was mitigated thanks to the palace’s garden, and as such starvation was a non-issue.

As much as Celia valued the area for its contribution to keeping the city well-fed, something about it had always puzzled her. There were no bees or beehives to be found, nor were there composters. She was no expert in agriculture, but even she knew such things as pollination and bonemeal were critical to the mass-production of crops. How the garden could grow such an anomalously large bounty in so short a time had never made sense.

Today, Celia would get an answer.

“I had been planning to show you this on your birthday,” her father said as he led her toward the center, where an oak tree nearly half a chunk wide and three times her height grew, “but it seems I must entrust you with the knowledge now.”

She felt her heart race. Celia wouldn’t turn 18 for another month, and she certainly wasn’t anywhere near ready to succeed her father as Luxmouth’s leader. What noble secret had he been compelled to reveal to her early?

Celia watched as he placed a lever on the grass beside the tree, several blocks away. He pulled it, and the ground under her feet trembled. Despite her alarm, her father didn’t seem fazed as several grass blocks sunk into the dirt, forming a staircase which led below the great oak.

“Down here,” was all he said before descending.

Her pulse only growing faster, she followed him into a dim cavern where oak logs and pillars of soil had seemingly arched themselves around a dirt pedestal covered in vines. The unusual block arrangement wasn’t what grabbed Celia’s attention, however; that went to the object atop the dirt.

It was a smooth, glassy yellow sphere which gave off a golden radiance. Something about it, far beyond the curious novelty of merely being an item she’d never seen before, transfixed her.

“It’s beautiful… but what is it?”

She hesitantly reached out to touch the sphere, but her father put a hand on her wrist.

“I don’t know what it is exactly,” he said. “But our harvest is as large as it is thanks to this object. It has been in the care of House Lumis for generations, enhancing the growth of vegetation and crops.”

Celia nodded, still not looking away from it.

“Do I need to keep it a secret?”

“Several of our allies from other cities know of its existence,” her father explained, “and some even have orbs of their own, with different effects. But you would do well not to make its existence too publicly known. If it were stolen, our food supply would suffer.”

That made sense. It wouldn’t be impossible to make up the difference with dedicated agricultural projects, but such a process would be time consuming. Undesirable, when it came to keeping a city of 1500 humans and villagers fed.

“I don’t understand, though. Why are you showing it to me now, if you were going to wait until I became an adult?”

There was a moment of silence, and she could hear him resisting a very long sigh.

“Because I won’t pretend to know what’s going to come of this invasion. The future is more uncertain than ever, and you and I must lead our people through this bleak time together. I decided it would be better for you to know about Luxmouth’s treasure now.”

Her father tugged on her shoulder. Finally tearing her gaze away from the orb, Celia followed him back up the grassy stairs and into the garden. He removed the lever, and the hollow was sealed again.

“What I have heard from the few messages we’ve received is that our enemies possess magic orbs as well,” he continued. “They have used their powers to a supposedly frightening degree, overtaking territories and bringing ruin to anyone who dares to oppose them.”

Celia’s heart was in her throat. Just when she thought the bad news had ended, her father spoke again.

“Worse still, they seem able to locate these objects with alarming ease. I fear these people will set their sights on us soon enough, so it is important that you understand what they are after. Come, we must address our people. ”

Not another word was spoken as she followed him out of the garden and through the corridors.

_“How far could they have reached? Has Tenebyss been affected?”_

A knot tightened in her stomach. Luxmouth’s southern neighbor was a major source of the city’s ore supply, but she had a more personal reason to worry about it as well.

_“Melissa... is she safe?”_

When they returned to the throne room, even more people were present. Celia spotted two familiar heads of blond hair amidst the crowd. The elder was a grave-looking woman named Emily Silverhand, current head of a family of professional craftsmen. So well-renowned were they that House Lumis had, for four generations, enlisted their talents for renovations and even city planning. Emily herself had designed the stained glass dome over the garden. Beside her stood a boy just a year younger than Celia, with an uncertain look on his face.

_“Felix! It’s been a while since I last got to see him, but why is he here? I’m not complaining; I think I could use a friend’s company right about now...”_

When he noticed Celia looking at him, she offered a wave as she passed by. Felix returned it with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“Duke Xavier!” someone cried when he sat on the throne. “What are we going to do?”

Numerous voices echoed similar questions. Celia took a seat at his right, surveying the crowd of anxious, expectant people. The attention wasn’t even on her, yet the pressure felt crushing. Her father raised a hand, and the room fell silent.

“For now,” he intoned, “we must learn more about our enemies. They seem to have come from nowhere, yet are organized well enough to pose a great risk to Luxmouth and to our neighbors should this invasion progress any further.”

 _“We lack the manpower to deploy an army against them,”_ Celia thought unhappily. _“Luxmouth hasn’t been involved in a war for more than 30 years. Mobs and Illagers are one thing, but this?”_

Emily stepped forth from the crowd, with Felix at her side.

“Excuse me, My Lord,” she said. “If I may, I have information regarding our new enemies.”

It was only when she spoke that Celia noticed her father’s troubled expression soften, ever so slightly. Beyond a professional relationship, House Lumis and the Silverhands were historically close friends. Celia herself had been close with Felix when they were younger, though they’d not spent as much time together for several years.

“Proceed,” was all he replied.

“A cousin of mine was in Sunset Ridge when the invaders arrived. He was able to escape, and although he suffered several injuries he made it to Luxmouth. He’s still being treated, so I am here to relay the message in his place.”

Her father nodded slowly.

“I wish him a swift recovery. What did he have to say?”

“He was able to put a name to these people. Apparently they’d announced a warning upon their arrival, which he wrote down before getting away.”

Celia leaned forward in her chair, determined to catch every word. Emily produced a sheet of paper from a pouch in her brown construction vest and began to read.

The young Countess wouldn’t know the full meaning of what she was hearing for some time, but the words ingrained themselves in her mind.

 _‘_ _An age of ruin has come, Inlanders. We are the Usurpation- and your supremacy is over.’_

* * *

_Two months later, and an ocean westward…_

* * *

**BOOK ONE: THE WIDER WORLD**

**PART ONE: LEAVING THE NEST**

**Chapter 1: Better Late Than Never**

The village was silent.

One could have called it a ghost town- given its decrepit state, one was likely to. The battle against encroaching cobwebs had long since been abandoned, the weeds had grown to nearly waist-height in some places, and many of the buildings had begun to succumb to the elements. Restoring them would be impractical, given that the town had only one inhabitant remaining.

Blake had always imagined exploring a place like this. He’d spent countless hours in his childhood envisioning a great expedition with his friends to an abandoned little hamlet, and finding what secrets of generations past it hid. Perhaps there would even be one wise old man left to share stories of when the community once thrived.

A small, bitter laugh escaped him. He never imagined he’d be the old man in question- and he’d never considered how that hypothetical person might feel to be the last one.

“Damn it all, I’m barely even nineteen.”

The other humans, who he’d grown up with, who he’d mined and crafted and explored and fought mobs with, were gone. As the years passed, they had all found their “callings” and left, one by one. Blake hadn’t objected at the time- why would he have? It was an exciting prospect, to go off into the unknown and pursue one’s real purpose in life. His friends had all done just that, bidding him and the villagers a cheerful farewell, never to return.

He doubted they had met anything but success in their travels. After all, they had been teammates for as long as he could remember. He knew those old friends of his even better than the local villagers who’d taken them all in as infants.

So… why was he having trouble recalling their names?

Blake got up, kicking a pebble aside. The stone block on which he was sitting sported numerous chips in its edges. One of his neighbors had accidentally placed it there as a child, at the corner of her home, and the group opted to try breaking it with little more than wooden axes. For reasons that escaped him, nobody had bothered to remove it for years to come. There was no reason for its placement or its permanence; the stone block had merely been the subject of some kids playing around with stray materials. The memory almost annoyed him; he could recall _that_ but not any of their names?

He made his way along the empty dirt road, passing by run-down buildings and crude construction projects he and his old gang had worked on in the past.

_“Take care, guys. I’ll always remember our adventures here.”_

_“I’m gonna miss you. Best of luck in the future.”_

_“Well, that’s it. It’s just the two of you left after I leave. You’ll both find your paths, I know it.”_

_“…bye, Blake.”_

For as hard as it was becoming to remember his childhood friends, he never forgot their parting words. He could never forget them. And now here he was, alone in a village that even the villagers themselves had abandoned some time ago. He’d done the best he could to preserve it in their absence, to never let time wear away those precious memories. But entropy proved stronger in the end, as evidenced by the increasingly dilapidated town.

If only he had realized how much he would come to cherish the past.

He finally reached his destination: a small shack near the outskirts, lined with mossy cobblestone. This was where he’d lived with a small villager family as a child before building his own house. It was still there, on the other side of town, and it was in considerably better shape than this old place, but he wasn’t in the mood to go back there right then.

Stepping inside, he swatted a thin spider web out of the doorway. The interior was just as dismal as the exterior: a dusty wooden floor and some rickety chairs were all that greeted him. No mementos of the residents to be found, not even of his adoptive father. Thinking of the old villager made Blake’s eyes sting. How long had it been since he passed on? Five, maybe six years? That was also around the time the others had started to leave.

That was the time his old life began to drift away.

Now, not even the hostile mobs drew near the town anymore. He would have loved the chance to defend his home from a zombie pack or an overeager creeper, showing off his sword prowess one more time, but the monsters seemed entirely uninterested. Was it just to spite him? Were even they daring Blake to step away for just a bit, and brave the perils of the outside world?

He sighed. The sun was beginning to set in the cloudy sky, and he was tired. Managing the crops and undergoing halfhearted maintenance on the village gate hadn’t been terribly exhausting, but he found he barely had the energy to do anything these days.

A few drops were audible against the shack’s roof, snapping him out of his nostalgic trance. He muttered something foul to himself for moping, then exited the shack in a hurry. The incoming rain urged him to get home quickly.

* * *

Blake’s house was nothing special, but he’d always been proud of its features. Two floors, a specific room for chests containing the many ores he and his friends had mined in the past, and how could he forget the wall-mounted map of the region they’d made together as kids? He always smiled when he saw that, and the various notes scribbled onto it. Places they’d been, places too dangerous to revisit, places as yet undiscovered- everything was marked in meticulous detail. It hadn’t been updated in a long time, not since the villagers had started to leave.

As the rain began to come down harder outside, he wandered upstairs to his room and flopped onto his bed back-first. Staring at the ceiling from behind a few strands of unkempt brown hair, he could only wonder one thing to himself.

“What am I doing with my life?”

Was this really what he wanted? To forever linger in his hometown, alone and yearning for a simpler time that, deep down, he knew would never return? The final member of his circle of friends had left three years ago, and the last of the villagers moved away a year and a half after that. Reality had stared him in the face the whole time, but he’d always refused to accept the facts: nobody was coming back to relive their old adventures. And with no idea where anyone had gone, it wasn’t as if he could just track them down.

“I’m… hopeless, aren’t I?”

He forced himself to sit up and reached into the chest beside his bed for a snack. Fresh carrots were never in short supply; he’d grown too many of them to keep up with over the last few months, mainly out of a lack of anything else to do.

“There’s too many in here to just eat as they are… maybe I could make a stew out of them.”  
Blake began to dig through the chest, picking out carrots most suitable for such a task without having a clue what his actual criteria were. Like most aspects of his life as of late, he went about it on autopilot.

It was then that his hand brushed against something at the very bottom which felt different: a loose wooden panel, inserted like a puzzle piece into the chest. He hadn’t emptied it in such a long time that he’d never realized there was a potential secret compartment. With his attention finally diverted, he pushed aside all the carrots and pried up the panel to reveal a thin envelope.

“What’s this…?”

He could feel his heart accelerate just a bit as he stared at his discovery. This was more excitement than he’d felt in a long time, minimal as it was. Blake picked up the envelope and set it on his bed for inspection.

The paper bore a few signs of minor weathering, but seemed otherwise normal. One side had been sealed in a thin layer of slime, while the other bore his name in vaguely familiar handwriting. Further intrigued, he tore it open and withdrew a letter.

_“Blake,_

_I don’t know if you’ll ever find this, but I had to get my thoughts out one way or another. I’ll be leaving the village in just a few days, and after that you’ll be the only one of my old friends still living here. To be honest, I’m a little worried for you._

_When Adam first left, things began to change for us. We started to hang out a bit less frequently as a group, and our mining trips never lasted as long. Then Mark went away, then Lauren. And every time someone left, it affected you the hardest._

_You did your best not to let it show, but I could tell you were bothered by it. You’d always been the one to round us up for adventures, after all. Remember the treehouse we built in the birch woods? Or the mushroom biome we romped around in? Those were great times, and I’ll never forget the fun we all had together._

_But time goes on, and things change. One by one, we’ve had to move on with our lives. We’re not kids anymore, you know? I think all of us came to accept that in some way, except for you. I know you’re still really bothered by the change.”_

His eyes stung again, but he forced himself to keep reading.

_“When I leave, you’ll be the last of our old gang. I’m worried about how you’ll handle it, but I know I can’t talk to you about this in person. You’d just brush it off, and tell me I have nothing to be concerned about. But we’ve been friends our whole lives, and I like to think I know you better than that._

_If you ever find this letter, take this message away from it: it’s not healthy of you to dwell on the past so much, not when your whole future is just over the horizon, waiting to be found. I hope you’ll one day accept that times have changed, and that our days of adventuring together are over. Look back on them fondly, by all means (I know I will), but don’t let the memories stop you from seeking out a new adventure of your own. Go out, meet new people, and find your place in the world like we have. Whatever you find for yourself, I’m sure you’ll bring all the enthusiasm to it that you did with us. Get out there and live your own life- you’re going to do great._

_Always your friend,_

_Alice”_

He stared at that letter for a very long time, the sound of the hammering rain his only companion.

* * *

Blake wasn’t sure when- or even if- he’d gone to sleep that night, but he later found himself rummaging around downstairs, assembling various goods for the road.  
Maybe, in some suppressed part of his heart, he’d wanted to leave all along. He had told himself for years that he had to stay, in case someone found their way back. He told himself it was up to him to maintain the place he and his friends had grown up in; without them around, who else would?

It was only after reading the letter that the truth had finally crashed over him like a tsunami: his emotional low wasn’t a recent occurrence; he’d been _miserable_ for the last three years.

“I’ve got so much life ahead of me!” he ranted to himself as he bustled about the kitchen, looking through chests of preserved meats and crops, “I can’t believe I wasted so much time just moping around!”

Blake didn’t have the slightest idea what emotion dominated at the moment. Excitement? Annoyance? Impatience? Longing? Whatever it was, it drove him toward one objective:  
Leave the village once and for all. Set out, and start fresh.

_“Fresh…”_

He paused, only then noticing how fast his heart was beating. That word echoed in his head a few times as he gathered supplies: assorted foods, iron tools he’d made long ago and never used, and even a spotless diamond sword. It was one of his proudest creations, so much so that it too had gone unused ever since he crafted it five years prior. Yet looking at it now, he couldn’t help but feel an inexplicable detachment from his old sentiment.

After another moment of deliberation, Blake put the sword back in its chest. And the tools. And the other assorted goods he’d attempted to cram into his inventory. By the time he was done, the only things he had left were a compass, a small map of the region, enough preserved meat and carrots to last about a week, and a lightweight stone sword- just in case.

_“That’ll do.”_

Maybe he was just trying to leave faster than he could risk changing his mind, but he’d decided that all of his treasures and ores found in the past would be better served staying behind, for some other adventurer to one day come across. They were mementos of his time there, and he didn’t want them to hinder his progress- he was overdue to leave the nest as it was. The only other item he would bring along on his fresh start was the letter from Alice, as a constant reminder of both his fond memories and the need to look forward in his life, not just backward.

With his supplies ready, he spared one last look at the home he’d built and stepped out into the abandoned village. Blake cast his eyes around twice, then he did an about-face and looked to the east. There was a hill past the town’s borders that he and his friends used to climb together, spending hours just enjoying the view.

_“Yeah… that’s where I’ll start.”_

A quick jog brought him to the top. The village was behind, and a long stretch of grassy plains lay ahead. Beyond that, a thick oak forest where the trees inexplicably grew taller than normal. Beyond that, an ocean. And beyond that, he wasn’t sure- he’d never traveled overseas. What he was sure of was his purpose: it was time for a new start. Mine again, craft again, and find a place for himself in the vast world. Blake didn’t know what lay ahead, if anything, but the thought of finding out for himself filled him with a sense of thrill he hadn’t felt in years. The sun was rising in the east, encouraging him as he took his first steps to descend the hill, away from home. His new adventure, his search for a destiny, had begun.

What Blake didn’t realize at the time was that destiny was about to come for _him_.


	2. The World's Unfriendly Welcome

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blake endures the first day of his journey, learning how to survive in the wild again. He decides to investigate the sudden appearance of a gargantuan tree, which- unbeknownst to him- will mark the true beginning of his adventure. Little does he realize, he is not the only one in the region to have noticed this phenomenon.

**Chapter 2: The World’s Unfriendly Welcome**

Blake walked. And walked. And walked.

It took nearly the entirety of the day to cross the plains, thankfully without much incident. He moved at a brisk enough pace so as to enjoy the scenery while also putting more distance between him and the old village; the last thing he wanted was to be tempted to change his mind and give up on his adventure.

The whole time he walked, Blake considered the world of possibilities that would be open to him after he crossed the ocean. Would he settle down somewhere new? Keep wandering forever, untethered to any one place? Perhaps even go on a hunt for an Ender Stronghold, like the two legendary heroes he and his friends had grown up hearing stories of?

_“I’ve never fought an Enderman, though… ah, one thing at a time. I’ll just have to cross the sea first, then I can figure out all that.”_

Overhead, the sky had was a warm shade of orange. The sun had begun to set just as he reached the oak forest, and he could already see stars twinkling above. He smiled at the serene display, then frowned when it suddenly occurred to him that he was getting tired after walking the whole day straight.

_“I should set up a camp…”_

As eager as Blake was to get on with his adventure, he wasn’t so foolish as to enter the forest after dark. He could already make out the faint outlines of inhuman creatures shuffling around in the distance: the hostile mobs were emerging for the night. None of them seemed to be coming his way, but he knew better than to assume it would stay like that. It was time to make a temporary shelter.

“There are plenty of trees here, so this shouldn’t be hard. Let’s see…”

Blake paced along the edge of the woods, inspecting the trees closest to him. While most people (and even some of his old friends) might have called them all identical, he wasn’t most people. He carefully examined their bark, the way their contours lined up, and how gnarled some of the trunks appeared. Were they thick enough for his purposes, or too thin to provide sufficient structure? Getting the wood wasn’t a concern; even without an axe, bare hands were all anyone needed. But after he’d _gotten_ it, there were so many factors to consider.

He chuckled. Somewhere in his head, he swore he could hear the exasperated voices of his friends, insisting that the trees were all the same. Blake wandered over to a moderately tall specimen that seemed good enough for just one night, and wound up his arm for a good punch-

_Rrrrt… twang!_

His reaction was instantaneous. He threw himself hard to the left, avoiding the arrow by a fraction of a second. Blake stumbled, trying to regain his balance and fumbling to draw his sword. A glance at the tree revealed the arrow had embedded itself around chest height. He shuddered to imagine what it would have done to his back had he not heard the string draw.

The offender was a skeleton, standing far enough away that fighting back would be an issue. It cackled at him as it drew another arrow. Blake found his footing, keeping the sword up defensively as he tried to figure out a strategy. It was then that he noticed the sun had completely set- how long _had_ he spent perusing the trees?

_“Focus. I haven’t fought any mobs in a while, but that’s fine. It’s just one; I’ve got this!”_

He tightened his grip and took a step closer. The skeleton aimed at his face, drawing the string back again. With another step, Blake dropped to one knee just as it loosed a second arrow which flew over his head. He didn’t waste any time observing its no doubt bewildered reaction, instead using the opportunity to punch at the ground with his free hand until he’d dug out two small cubes of dirt. One quick hand motion later, he’d restacked them in front of him. The blocks expanded to their normal size upon being set back down.

A thud on the other side of his makeshift barrier suggested a third arrow had been fired, unable to make it through the dirt cubes. He could hear the skeleton grinding its teeth, frustrated.

“Come and get me!” he yelled.

Having bought himself a few precious moments, he dug up another cube and held it firmly. It wouldn’t be much good as a weapon in its small state, and he couldn’t pick up blocks in their large states, but maybe it could be the diversion he needed.

“I sure hope this works…”

The skeleton, further aggravated by his taunt, had taken a few steps around his small dirt pillar. It already had its bow drawn by the time he was in its sights again.

Blake ducked behind the pillar the moment it loosed another arrow, dodging it by such a narrow margin that he felt its feathered tail brush past his cheek. He responded by stepping out of cover and throwing the small dirt cube as hard as he could. It fell short of the skeleton by a few feet, doing no better than to elicit another cackle. Cursing under his breath, he dug up a new block from around him.

Once more, the mob circled his dirt tower and took aim. He threw the cube before it had a chance to attack, but as with the previous attempt he was just too far away to make the toss. The skeleton fired at him again, this and this time he felt the arrow scrape past his side. He wasn’t hurt by some miracle, but a large gash had been torn in the maroon fabric of his light jacket. To make matters worse, the ground around his barrier was becoming uneven from all the digging. If he didn’t find a way to end this now, it was only a matter of time before he wound up stuck in a trench for easy pickings. The skeleton was still too far away to reach with a throw.

_“I might as well try one more thing…”_

Willing himself to ignore the possibility that this single mob might end his adventure before it really began, Blake dug up one last cube and held it tight. His sword was still gripped in his left hand, ready for action.

“Here goes!”

He allowed the skeleton to target him one last time, ducking behind the pillar again as its arrow sailed past. Then, not wasting even a second, he charged right at it with his sword raised. The skeleton scrambled for another arrow, raising its bow by the time Blake reached the halfway point between them. Before it could draw back the string, he threw his third dirt cube. His eyes followed it, watching the block arc directly into the skeleton’s face and force it to stagger. This was his opening!

With a yell, he closed the rest of the distance and brought his sword down on the mob’s bow hand. One horrible crack of bones later, the skeleton’s right arm had been severed at the elbow. It struggled to wipe the dirt out of its eye sockets, no longer cackling but rather snarling in fury. Blake brought up his arm in a diagonal slash, breaking through several of its ribs. For good measure, he stabbed the blade as hard as he could into the skeleton’s face. The skull cracked and shattered, and the body collapsed into a shapeless jumble of bones.

Blake sat down and tried to catch his breath. The very first night of his adventure, and the very first mob, had given him an embarrassing amount of trouble already. This was a far cry from the safety of the village, or even the hunting excursions he would go on with the others. They were always together back then, and not even creepers had stood a chance against the group.

 _“It’s just me now,”_ he reminded himself. _“I have to make it without them. I’ve beaten plenty of skeletons before by myself; I’m just rusty.”_

He inspected his sword. There were, to his dismay, a few chips in the stone blade already. Overuse would cause it to break in due time, and he _really_ didn’t need that to happen at the very beginning of the journey. With that cheering prospect in mind, Blake decided to take the skeleton’s bow and whatever arrows he could find in the pile of bones. There were six in total, of remarkably poor quality: rusted tips, tattered feather tails, and one of them appeared to have moss growing on it. The bow wasn’t much better; it felt like it would break with too much exertion.

“Better than nothing, I guess. Time to make that shelter.”

Having learned his lesson for the night about dawdling, he opted to just go with the tree closest to him. A few solid strikes from his bare hands were all it took to bring it down, and soon enough he had a modest collection of logs. Breaking one of them apart yielded wooden planks, among the most basic of materials, and after a bit of tinkering he’d assembled a crafting table. Converting the other logs gave him enough planks to make a small, cramped shack to rest in for the night. Though it was by no means comfortable, it was good enough for the moment.

He got to work with the crafting table, breaking some of the leftover planks into sticks and using _them_ as the basis for new tools. The fruits of his labor were nothing special: a wooden axe, shovel, and pickaxe which he stored in his bag. But this was what it meant to start fresh, wasn’t it? He would rebuild himself from the ground up, and make up for all the lost time.

A scraping sound on the outer wall of his shack caused Blake to jump. Shortly afterwards, a dull moan could be heard. No doubt a zombie had taken interest in the structure. It made sense; only a brainless husk would find his small, featureless wooden cube interesting. Doing his best to ignore the noise, he retrieved a pork chop that he’d spent the day nibbling at from his bag. It had long since gotten cold and even a little hard, but food was food.

“Well… doesn’t this suck?” he muttered to himself.

Alone, poorly equipped, and stuck in a cramped wooden shack while the assorted monstrosities of the night shuffled around him, one having already given Blake more trouble than it had any right to. Maybe, in hindsight, taking the “fresh start” so literally hadn’t been the best idea after all.

“Why didn’t I at least bring some leather armor? Did I even have any left?”

He faintly heard bones clattering. Either another skeleton had arrived and was prowling outside, or the zombie had found the remains of his first enemy. Whatever the case, it meant that there were still monsters nearby- and they wouldn’t likely go away anytime soon.

Groaning, Blake curled up on the floor and attempted to rest.

* * *

Soreness was the first sensation that hit Blake upon waking. His back and legs were violently protesting the conditions he’d slept in; the cramped wooden cube offered nothing in the way of comfort. Some of his muscle aches could have been due to his encounter with the skeleton as well, but he decided he didn’t want to acknowledge that anymore.

_“Is it morning yet? Please let it be morning…”_

He broke through one of the wooden planks of his roof, squinting as sunlight streamed in. The vast blue sky greeted him, without a cloud in sight. Perfect weather for him to continue his adventure.

However, it was at that very moment that the world chose to shock him more than he would ever be able to describe.

The ground underfoot began to violently shake, causing him to stumble and painfully land on his crafting table. He could hear the trees outside snapping, their leaves causing an uproar as they bustled against one another. Within seconds, the tremors stopped and the sunlight had disappeared completely. Rubbing his stomach after the fall, Blake pulled himself out through the roof to investigate and found himself staring up at a tree which seemed to have instantaneously appeared in the middle of the forest. He’d seen some truly large oaks in the past, but none of them had ever compared to the utterly monstrous specimen before him.

This tree towered so high above the landscape that Blake felt like an insect in its presence. Its branches were thick enough to obscure the sky overhead, and its trunk looked like it could have been hollowed out to fit a small village at the base. The behemoth’s roots protruded into the ground like very thick legs, propping it up off the ground by more than twice his height. Beneath, he could see the remains of smaller trees and shrubs in a tangled mass of flora. It would have reminded him a little of a hedge maze had he not been so thoroughly _dumbfounded_.

_“…I wasn’t sure what I should do on this journey, was I? I wanted to find a purpose in something… this seems like a good place to start.”_

He hadn’t the slightest idea what was in store, but that didn’t stop him from running off toward the gargantuan oak anyway.

* * *

“Felix! Did you SEE that?!”

As if he wasn’t jumpy enough after witnessing a tree the size of a small mountain spring from the earth, the shouting of his companion caused him to flinch again.

“Y-yes, I did!” he exhaled, his heart pounding. “Please, not too loud- someone could hear us.”

Celia didn’t appear to pay his warning any mind, bouncing on her heels as they stared at the inexplicable giant. They were at the edge of the oak forest, bordering a sandy beach. Their presence was unknown, and Felix very much wanted it to stay that way for as long as possible. The tree would draw enough attention _without_ the added shouting.

“Do you think that was caused by our wayward artifact?” Celia asked.

“Most likely,” he replied. “I can’t imagine anything else that would do that, unless the trees _naturally_ spring up without warning in this region.”

“And here I thought it would be a difficult search!” she huffed, dramatically brushing a long lock of red hair behind her shoulder. “Oh, glorious day, this is our breakthrough! Come! The Genesis Core awaits!”

Before Felix could even suggest a plan to approach the tree, she had already taken off through the undergrowth. Her marble-white skirt managed not to get caught on any of the flora; she’d charged ahead enough to have learned how to avoid that.

“Lady Celia, please wait…!”

Exasperated yet just as anxious to investigate, he ran in pursuit. Felix only hoped that they would make it there first.

* * *

“Sir Ray. Can we assume that-”

Ray held up a hand to silence his masked and hooded peon. Members of their team, the recovery squad designated Lime, muttered to each other and stared at the enormous tree which had just blocked out the sun on the beach. He found himself unable to hold back a smile.

“Can we assume that this is the work of the Genesis Core?” Ray asked, finishing his underling’s question. “I don’t see why not. Agent Lime-6 hasn’t come back yet, has he?”

The masked man shook his head.

“No, Sir Ray. Despite his reports of finding a Core, he has yet to return.”

“Well, at least _we_ know where it is. If he’s still out there, he can wait for us to arrive. Lime Squad, move out! I foresee a promotion for us!”

He took his first steps into the trees, flanked by his troops. He’d expected recovering a Genesis Core to be easy, but he didn’t think it would have fallen into his lap like this.


	3. Genesis Core

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Within the great tree, Blake encounters a mysterious artifact- and an equally mysterious group seeking it for themselves.

**Chapter 3: Genesis Core**

Blake made his way into the desolated ruins of the forest under the tree, heart pounding. The ground underfoot was littered with chips of wood, leaves, twigs, fruits, and anything else that had been caught in the incident entrance. The panicked squawking of hundreds of birds filled the air, and soon enough the birds themselves did too. Other animals were fleeing as well: foxes, stray ocelots, and at least one pack of wolves rushed in every direction. He didn’t even want to think about what became of the creatures in the epicenter of the tree’s appearance.

An unbearably foul stench permeated, followed by a low groan from behind him. Blake whirled around, diagonally slashing down across the zombie’s chest. The creature’s green, rotting flesh split without much effort, and it staggered back a few steps. He didn’t give it the chance to recover, recalling the skeleton from the day prior, and stabbed it through the stomach. The zombie sputtered, feebly reaching a hand toward his face before giving up and collapsing. Blake wiped the stone blade against the grass in a feeble attempt to clean it.

_“I just hope the mobs aren’t all as brave as that zombie.”_

He kept moving, carefully stepping over increasingly thick debris. It eventually clicked that although the mobs had not fled with the animals, they were not actively roaming the remains of the forest. This, he further realized, was because they were too busy trying to disentangle themselves from the wreckage.

Blake began to see zombies with bits of wood embedded in their bodies, and pinned or outright crushed beneath the fallen blocks of trees. Skeletons were little more than scattered bones, and his skin crawled when he came across the lower half of a creeper slumped against a tree stump, its mossy shell clearly having been no match for whatever had happened. But the worst discovery was that of a spider, still living and cowering beneath a toppled trunk. Blake was sure to give that one a very wide berth; the mere sight was causing him to tremble.

The deeper he went, the thicker the ruined foliage became. More dead or dying mobs were present as well- in fact, he would go so far as to say a suspicious number of them. Packs weren’t uncommon, but the sheer number of monsters he came across struck him as more than just a coincidence. With the exception of a second bold zombie that Blake easily put down, they were all too distracted by the disaster to pay him much mind.

_“Mobs don’t just congregate for no reason, and there’s too many here to just have been taking cover from the sunlight. Were they chasing something?”_

He felt his blood run cold. Could somebody else have been in the woods, fleeing from monsters when the tree appeared? What if they were still there?

Blake’s grip on his sword tightened and he picked up the pace, unsure of what he would find.

* * *

Felix resisted the urge to wince with every crunch in the leaves his footsteps made as he ran after Celia. There wasn’t much chance of remaining inconspicuous now that the enormous tree had no doubt drawn the attention of everyone for miles, and his main focus was ensuring that they didn’t get separated.

“Keep up!” she insisted from further ahead. “If we dawdle, we could lose this opportunity!”

_“We might lose much more than the opportunity if we blunder into a trap_ ,” he thought. But he wasn’t about to voice that concern, not when she was in such a determined state. He’d known her long enough to understand that the best course of action was simply to make sure no harm came to her.

“I can’t believe we’re this close,” Felix said as he caught up at last. “It seems so unreal.”

She giggled, daintily stepping over a fallen tree branch. Somehow her graceful stride didn’t falter even amidst the copious debris of the forest floor.

“Was there ever any doubt? I knew from the moment we left Luxmouth we’d be able to locate a Genesis Core ourselves! You still have the radar active, yes?”

He reached into a hidden fold of his leather chestplate, withdrawing a sheet of paper akin to a map. Rather than showing the local geography, however, the surface displayed a spherical object colored deep purple. The paper was enchanted to provide a set of coordinates beside the sphere, relative to their position. As they kept moving through the disrupted forest, the coordinates’ values decreased.

“I do, Lady Celia. The Genesis Core is at the base of the enormous tree.”

She practically squealed.

“Excellent! And the effect it had must mean that this is the second Bonemeal Core! Father will be thrilled when we return with it!”

Felix was quiet again. He didn’t want to deflate her enthusiasm, but he could only hope that the Duke of Luxmouth would be in a forgiving mood when they returned. Celia’s unannounced departure with no bodyguards didn’t strike him as something that would blow over well even if there _wasn’t_ an invasion to contend with. And while she was the Duke’s daughter, he had no such claim to nobility. Maybe, with luck, he’d only get a few years of jail time for assisting her…

“Felix? You’re very quiet. Are you not as excited about this?”

He blinked as she interrupted his thoughts, stuttering out a response.

“Uh… y-yes, Lady Celia. I’m…”

His voice trailed off again as the radar changed. Though they continued to get closer to the Genesis Core, a _second_ reading had suddenly appeared. Below the purple sphere, a yellow one was now being tracked to their east.

“…very much excited,” Felix continued. “There’s another Core nearby, about 25 chunks to the east!”

Celia gasped.

“You mean we’ll be able to obtain _two?_ Fortune is truly on our side today. To which are we closer?”

He checked the radar again.

“We can save some time by securing the Bonemeal Core first; we’re almost two thirds of the way to the tree. Then we can-“

The radar was changing as they walked. Although they were moving away from where the second reading had first appeared, the yellow sphere’s coordinates were shown to be moving away from them- and toward the enormous tree.

“Wait, that shouldn’t be happening,” he said. “Genesis Cores can’t move on their own, so… someone already has the second one. And it seems like they’re closer to the Bonemeal Core than we are.”

Celia turned a shade paler.

“No… the Usurpers are here?”

Felix’s heart sank as he nodded.

“I don’t know who else it could be. We have to hurry.”

And so they broke into a run again, desperately trying to close the gap between them and their enemies.

* * *

Ray led his team at a brisk walk through the devastated forest. The mobs which had survived the incident seemed to have gained more confidence, and Lime Squad found itself under attack by a group of six zombies. Two skeletons had their bows drawn in the distance, waiting for them to get just a little closer.

“Fan out!” he called. “Lime-2 through 5, take care of the zombies. Lime-7 and Lime-8, watch the rear. I’ll deal with the skeletons.”

His cohorts split up as instructed. Ray watched as four agents beckoned and taunted the zombies into pursuing them in different directions, where they would be isolated and easier to handle. That left him with the ranged mobs, already taking aim at him. He drew his iron sword and deflected the first arrow, then sidestepped the second. As the skeletons moved to reload, he charged for the one closest to him. A swift attack later, and its head landed on the ground.

The second mob ground its teeth angrily, firing another arrow. It came closer to hitting him this time, but still not by enough to concern Ray. He smiled, deciding that it wouldn’t hurt to hone his talents with the artifact he possessed.

_“Grass Core, time to do your thing.”_

Energy surged within him, courtesy of the Genesis Core he’d been entrusted with. He became acutely aware of the grass underfoot, buried beneath the debris. Ray smiled, allowing his senses to become fully attuned to it- specifically, to the grass on which his enemy stood. A moment of concentration later, the blades had grown to be waist-high, tangling themselves around the mob’s legs. When the alarmed skeleton attempted to step free, the grass at its feet formed a knot and tripped it. Ray strode over, delivering a quick stab to the back of its skull. It hadn’t even taken twenty seconds to deal with both.

“Simple enough,” he said as the Grass Core’s power died down. “How are you all faring?”

Limes 2 and 5 were already walking over to rejoin him. Behind them, Limes 3 and 4 were delivering finishing blows to the last of the zombies. No other mobs had attacked, so Limes 7 and 8 approached as well.

“Finished, Sir Ray,” Lime-2 reported, sheathing her blade. “No casualties.”

“Good. Any signs of Lime-6?”

Six hooded and masked heads shook in unison.

“Hm. I hope he’s okay… let’s find the Core, then we can see where he is.”

He stowed his sword back into the folds of his cloak and continued walking, keeping his eyes peeled. The tree wasn’t far at all- and neither was their objective.

“I know the conditions make it difficult,” he announced, “but try not to get your outfits too dirty. We want to look as good as we can when we present the Core to Commandant Green.”

“Yes, Sir Ray,” they responded at once. He could hear the excitement in their voices as well.

_“If my intuition is any good, this is most likely the Bonemeal Core. Talk about the score of a lifetime; this could be our ticket to the higher ranks!”_

They reached the base of the tree- and the tangled mess of a forest under it- at last. Their prize was in reach.

* * *

Blake just beginning to worry that finding answers to the mysterious tree would entail _climbing_ it. The ruined foliage was denser than ever, and he came across the remains of another mob every few yards. At one point, he swore he heard a distinct dry hiss from nearby, but its source was nowhere to be seen. Just as he began to consider simply turning and fleeing from the tree, he finally came across something that intrigued him enough not to.

One of the many shards of wood strewn across his path had a torn piece of cloth stuck to it, like somebody had ripped their shirt on the way past. It was tan wool, and while he was no expert at making clothes he could tell that it had come from something finely woven; even the small scrap’s fibers held together remarkably well. It must have taken considerable force to tear off.

_“Either that, or the person this belonged to was running by in a hurry…”_

Blake got his answer soon enough. At seemingly the deepest point of the foliage, he was met by the miserable sight of a body amidst the debris.

He stared at it, suddenly feeling very numb. It unfortunately wasn’t the first time he’d seen death; zombie attacks in the past had claimed more than a few villagers, and he and his old friends had been forced to avenge the fallen. Given that said fallen often became zombies themselves, there was never much in the way of remains to collect.

But this was the first time he’d seen a human body, or at least what he _thought_ was a human body.

The corpse was awkwardly positioned such that its long, tan cloak concealed most of its details. It had a distinctly human shape, with the same blocky limbs as anyone else, but he wasn’t about to try and remove the person’s garb to confirm his or her humanity. The cloak sported jagged gashes, telltale signs of zombie attacks, and was stained red in certain spots. Blake shuddered at the sight.

_“Sorry, man. I hope you’re doing better wherever you are now...”_

At least now he knew what the mobs were congregating for, but that still didn’t explain the tree. There was no way it could have just sprung up on its own, so what had happened?

His attention was drawn to a faint light within the foliage. A thick, gnarled pile of branches had collapsed over something emitting a purple glow and a low humming sound. Curiosity piqued, Blake began to shift the forest debris aside. He dug through wood and roots and slabs of bark before finally uncovering the concealed item: a translucent sphere about the size of his fist.

It was a type of object he’d never seen before. Traveling merchants had shown off rare Ender Pearls to him and his friends when they were younger, but he distinctly remembered them being dark green. The glassy item before him was deep amethyst and gave off a truly remarkable amount of purple light now that he’d dug it free. Through its surface, Blake could see a dark, hazy gas swirling within.

“What _is_ this thing?”

Thinking it was some forgotten treasure- or maybe a belonging of the dead traveler- Blake reached down to pick it up. The moment his hand contacted the smooth, cool surface, his vision blurred and he could hear someone talking.

**_“Why don’t we just grow it ourselves? They need our help, don’t they?”_ **

**_“We’ll help them get a farm set up over there, by the river. That’s it.”_ **

Then Blake’s perception returned to normal, leaving him thoroughly confused. The two voices were distinctly male, but they had a certain otherworldliness to their tones he couldn’t exactly put his finger on. He’d also never heard either of them before. A quick glance at his surroundings suggested he was alone, so he looked back at the sphere.

“Did _you_ just say that to me?”

If it had, it didn’t say anything else. He picked up the sphere and gave it a close inspection, trying to find any miniscule detail which would tell him what it was. The closest Blake got to an answer was an inexplicable thought of… bonemeal?

“Hey! Who are you?”

He jolted so hard that he nearly stumbled and fell. Blake spun around, keeping his sword close.

The speaker was a man about his height, but his face was mostly hidden behind a metal mask with green-lensed goggles. He wore a long, hooded cloak colored the same dusty tan as that of the body Blake had found. Only the bottom of the man’s face was visible, with a deep frown and unusually gray-looking skin. Six people dressed in similar garb, minus the goggles, appeared behind him.

“I… live here.”

Blake was taken aback at how hoarse his voice sounded. It suddenly occurred to him that he was speaking to another living being for the first time in over a year.

The man’s frown didn’t change.

“You live here? In this tree?”

He cleared his throat.

“Uh… no. I live- I mean I _lived_ in a village. Not far from here.”

“Sir Ray,” one of the masked people said aloud, “he has-“

Their apparent leader raised a hand, and his cohort fell silent.

“Then you must have come to investigate this tree as well,” Ray said. “Did you encounter anyone clothed as we are?”

Blake’s heart sank as he pointed toward the mess of branches where the body was.

“Over there. I found him like that, the zombies must have gotten to him.”

A murmur rose from the group. Ray stepped past him and approached the body, inspecting it. He let out a sigh.

“Indeed… rest easy, Lime-6. We will continue our work in your memory.”

His other peons mumbled their own farewells to the body. Blake wasn’t sure what to make of all this; their outfits made it clear that they weren’t mere travelers.

“I found this near him, under a bunch of rubble,” he said, showing the group the orb. “Any idea what it is?”

Ray stepped closer, looking at it. His mouth twitched; Blake could tell he was actively holding back a smile.

“It’s an object my friends and I have sought out for some time now, called the Bonemeal Core. I don’t have a doubt in my mind that it caused the appearance of this tree.”

“Bonemeal? Like the stuff you use to fertilize plants? I’ve never heard of it working _this_ much.”

Looking at the towering roots reaching above them, Ray chuckled.

“Oh yes, the Core has truly extraordinary powers. It can accelerate or- as you can see- enhance plant growth to an unprecedented degree. There is another like it, currently in the possession of some ruffians who stand against those of my order.”

Blake raised a brow.

“Your… order?”

“Enough questions,” he said shortly. “Please give me the Core so we may be on our way.”

He looked at it. True, they’d apparently been looking for the item for a while… but something gave him the inexplicable urge not to let them have it. Not out of greed, rather due to apprehension. Something rubbed him the wrong way about this group.

“Um… no offense, but I’d like to hold onto it for a while. I’m leaving home at last, and this is my first big discovery.”

Ray’s jaw tightened, and Blake noticed his hand twitch as if about to clench.

“This isn’t up for debate,” one of the masked people said. “Hand it over, or we’ll take it from you by force.”

“Ordinarily I’d prefer a more civil solution with one of your kind,” Ray cut in, glancing at his peon, “but in this case I’m forced to put my foot down. We need that sphere more than you will ever know. Give it to me.”

Blake backpedaled, suddenly realizing that irritating them while outnumbered seven to one wasn’t the best idea. He instinctively held the Bonemeal Core close to his chest.

Too close, in fact. The sphere seemed to melt away against him, the misty substance within absorbing into Blake’s body. In seconds, there was no trace of the item left. He gasped as a rush of energy overtook him, and his senses became hyperaware of the plants all around them. Blake, however was more concerned with the alarmed reactions he received at the moment.

“He’s bound it to himself,” another masked person exclaimed. “Sir Ray…?”

From behind the lenses of his goggles, Ray’s eyes were narrowed as he and Blake stared one another down.

“So be it. We’ll recover the Genesis Core from your remains. Agents, kill the Inlander!”


	4. Escape!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On the run from Ray's forces, Blake finds assistance from two more strangers.

**Chapter 4: Escape!**

The hooded people- the “agents”- fanned out around Blake, drawing weapons from their cloaks. They wielded swords like he’d never seen before, with short, curved iron blades instead of the traditional straight edge. Although they were smaller than his stone sword, the weapons his enemies carried looked much more compact and easier to carry-

He jolted, quickly sidestepping a slash from one of Ray’s peons. Now was _not_ the time to be distracted by small details. Blake shoved the hooded man into another who had tried to close the gap, frantically looking around for an escape route. The group had him effectively cornered against an impenetrable wall of tree debris and roots, and he couldn’t go anywhere without forcing his way through them.

Two more agents charged. He brought up his sword to parry one of their strikes, grimacing as he felt the stone blade chip on impact. The second enemy stabbed at him from the right, only missing her mark when Blake threw himself forward against the agent he’d blocked. Both of them stumbled back, nearly losing their footing in the loose bark and twigs below. While the maneuver had saved Blake from the stab, it had done little to improve his position; Ray and his other cohorts had surrounded him in the meantime.

_“Crap…”_

Still in imminent danger from the man he was up against, Blake drove a knee as hard as he could into the agent’s stomach. His enemy coughed and staggered, and a firm strike to the head with the pommel of Blake’s sword sent him to the ground almost instantly.

“Enough messing around,” Ray said. “Don’t make this harder for yourself than it has to be; we’ll make it as painless as we can. Finish him off!”

Time seemed to slow down as the agents closed in all around him. A pleasant, warm sensation spread from Blake’s chest to his limbs, while his mind became clear of worry. Despite the fight for his life, he was inexplicably at peace. Somewhere within, he swore he could feel the item he’d absorbed guiding him. His attention traced across the ground, over leaf litter and scraps of bark, to a single intact leaf block that had gone unnoticed. Ray himself was stepping over it in that prolonged moment on his way to attack him-

A pillar of leaves about four blocks tall sprang from the ground. Ray was _thrown_ into the air, landing in a heap a good distance away. A gap had been formed in the group’s ranks, between two other hooded people who were paused in utter alarm. Seizing the opportunity, Blake made a run for it.

He wasn’t sure if he was headed the way he’d came or not, but all that mattered was putting more distance between him and his pursuers. As he pushed his way through saplings and low-hanging branches, it occurred to Blake that the leaf block had grown as if in response to his concentration. The actual moment hadn’t lasted more than a second, but everything felt so _slow_ at the time.

_“It must have been because of the ‘Core’ I have. I wonder if…”_

The agents’ footsteps crunched across the leaves not far behind him. Panicked, Blake looked for something else to experiment on. He settled for a small patch of grass just ahead that hadn’t been completely buried under the debris. Once he’d passed over it, he gave the patch a hard stare.

To his amazement, the grass almost instantaneously shot up to just below his height. Perhaps more impressively, it had thickened so as not to fall over from its own weight. There was now a very tall, very dense clump of weeds between him and his pursuers. Encouraged, he kept running.

_“What could they be after this thing for? Where did they even come from? How long has it been in these woods? Did the gang and I just never explore deep enough to find it?”_

He couldn’t fathom an answer to any of those questions. Blake forced himself not to let his mind wander any further; he’d have time to consider recent events once he was safe. _If_ he made it that far.

Whenever he had the chance, he would use his newfound power to grow another obstruction behind him as he ran. To his dismay, the results weren’t always as spectacular as he’d hoped. Grass blocks would sprout clusters of weeds and flowers, while stray saplings grew into small trees in his wake. The sizes of his makeshift barriers never remained consistent, and sometimes they never worked at all. One patch of grass seemed unresponsive to his concentration, and Blake only moved on from it when he realized that lingering in an attempt to make the Core work was doing the opposite of buying himself time. He could still hear the agents in the distance.

Blake vaulted over a fallen log, only to nearly scream at the sight of a spider scuttling out from behind it and giving chase.

“G-get AWAY from me!” he yelped, focusing again.

Luck seemed to be in his favor this time, as his power caused the felled tree to sprout a branch. It sprang out, striking the spider almost like it had thrown a punch. The mob was knocked onto its back, allowing Blake to frantically stab at it until only a rather unsightly mess remained. Still fighting the urge to hyperventilate, he kept running.

_“A spider. Why a spider?! What happened to all the zombies?!”_

There was a clearing in the foliage further ahead, suggesting the forest was growing thinner. He sprinted as fast as he could…

…straight into another person who had suddenly appeared in his path. Blake felt the pain in his forehead a moment after he hit the ground.

“Ow! O-oh, I’m so sorry! Are you okay?”

Rubbing the stars out of his eyes, he scrambled to draw his sword.

“Please, don’t be alarmed! I’m not a mob, I’m a human! See?”

Current circumstances didn’t make that much more comforting, but when he finally got a better look at the newcomer, Blake could tell that she at least didn’t _resemble_ his pursuers.

She was a young woman in a frilly, marble-white dress that ended at her knees. Her hair was long and a deeper red than he’d ever seen, contrasting against her pale skin and dark brown eyes. The girl spoke with a rather posh accent as she sized him up.

“I’m sorry,” she repeated. “I should have looked where I was going. Are you all right?”

Blake got to his feet in a hurry, glancing over his shoulder. He could hear the growling of zombies nearby. They were standing at the edge of the clearing, where the sun was exposed through a gap in the trees. The small circle of light would ward off mob attacks for the moment, but it hardly put him at ease.

“I’ll be fine, but we shouldn’t stay here. There are these crazy people in hoods and masks following me, and-“

The girl blanched.

“So there _are_ Usurpation members here? Did they find a-”

“Lady Celia!”

Someone else was on her heels, namely a blond-haired boy dressed in light leather armor. _Very_ light; his suit didn’t include leggings, just plain tan pants. The most notable aspect of his armor was a small, silver badge on his chestplate shaped like a four-pointed star. He paused upon reaching them, gasping for breath.

“Don’t… run off again right now, please…”

Blake stared at them. The pair were clearly younger than him, though not by much. Maybe two years at the most.

“Who’s this?” the young man asked.

“Now’s a bad time,” he said, looking hastily over his shoulder. “The mobs are still out there, and those people are coming.”

The redheaded girl nodded.

“He’s right. He says the Usurpation are here, and that they’ve been chasing him.”

That word again. Who were these two, and how did they know his assailants?

“Found you.”

Blake spun, gripping his weapon. Ray and his six underlings had just emerged from the forest’s ruins, spreading out in an arc again. The man he’d struck in the head was back on his feet, but clearly worse for wear; his mask sported a noticeable dent.

“More Inlanders?” Ray asked, brushing a few leaves off of his cloak. “Is this your backup? It won’t help, thief. We’ve come too far to let that Genesis Core slip through our fingers.”

“You… _miscreants!_ ” shouted the girl, suddenly brandishing an iron sword. “Do you know who I am?”

Blake saw her companion’s eyes widen.

“Don’t-!” the boy began, in vain.

“Let me handle this, Felix. I am Celia Lumis, the Countess of Luxmouth!”

Silence fell over the group. Ray’s team members muttered something to one another, while Ray himself looked at her closely.

“The Ever-Glowing City…” he said quietly. “If you say you’re the Countess…”

Celia’s friend looked some combination of shocked, dismayed, and terrified. Blake had _no_ idea who any of these people were or what was going on, but he got the sense that she’d said something she shouldn’t have.

Ray chuckled.

“Is that true? Well then, it seems we’ll be able to double our catch. Agents, non-lethally subdue her. Lime-2 through 4, attack. Limes 5, 7, and 8, defend. Go!”

Blake readied himself again, shouting to the newcomers.

“I’ll back you up!”

The redhead- Celia- nodded and raised her own sword. Her stance was poised and steady, but her composure didn’t quite show in her expression.

_“I just hope they can fight, too…”_

Three of the agents approached. Ray prowled behind them, while the last three members of the team turned toward the woods. Blake found himself side-by-side with Celia, parrying rapid strikes from the hooded trio. Although his muscle memory in sword-fighting was beginning to come back, it wasn’t quite enough to let him do more than remain on the defensive. Celia seemed to be holding her own as well, but the pair were being steadily driven back into the middle of the clearing. Felix leaped at one of the attackers from the side with a stone axe, only for the agent to effortlessly block his wild swing and kick him in the chest. He was sent sprawling, not achieving more than a temporary distraction. Their chances already weren’t looking good.

The agent who had singled out Blake scored a glancing blow on his side. He hissed in pain, grabbing her sword arm by the wrist with his free hand before she could draw back for another strike. She responded in kind, leaving the two locked in a grapple while Blake continued to backpedal across more forest debris. As the sun shone onto them, he could see her eyes through the holes in her mask. They were blue and cold, focused on him with a glower.

Focused on him, and not on the stray leaf blocks at their feet. Blake grew another leaf pillar, this time horizontally so as to sweep her legs out from below. In fact, all three agents tripped onto their stomachs in unison thanks to his impromptu trap.

“Did _you_ do that?!” Celia gasped. “You absorbed the Genesis Core!”

The skirmish had left her visibly disheveled, but she at least didn’t seem injured. Blake, meanwhile, could feel the cut on his side bleeding.

“I _really_ have no idea what any of this is about,” he said.

He concentrated again. The three agents were attempting to get back up, but the leaf blocks burst out like he’d done to the spider. They were thrown a short distance away, landing hard next to Ray as he watched with a frown.

Felix was on his feet again, holding his axe with a look of trepidation.

“Zombies! All around us!”

Blake tensed up. The clearing offered a small respite from the giant tree’s shade, but the sounds of the fight had attracted a horde of the undead. At least twenty zombies surrounded them, waiting just beyond the sunlight’s reach. If a cloud were to pass overhead at the wrong spot, there would be nothing stopping the zombies from swarming in.

“Sir!” one of the three agents at the rear yelled. “We may not be able to hold them off!”

“Then I’ll make this quick,” Ray said.

Blake felt something snag underfoot, and he hit the ground a moment later. Celia and Felix had also been tripped, to his alarm, by a cluster of extremely long grass blades which had tangled around their feet like shackles. Ray approached, smirking.

“You have no precision with the Bonemeal Core,” he chuckled, “crude plant growth is all you’re capable of. My Grass Core is more refined, more specific. I can exercise more control than you could ever imagine.”

While on his back, Blake looked at the sky above. The sun continued to shine into the clearing, but the treetops were close enough together to give him an idea. A desperate, _desperate_ idea.

_“I might die one way or another… it’s worth a shot!”_

He focused all of the Bonemeal Core’s energy he could muster on the branches overhead. They grew at his command, spreading inwards and extending leaf and log blocks every which way until a snug canopy had been formed. No light could shine through now.

All around them, the zombies snarled and rushed in. Ray and his agents almost immediately stopped focusing on the trio, closing ranks to defend against the horde. That gave Blake time to hack apart the weeds around their feet.

“Brilliant!” Celia said. “Now, we really should be going!”

A zombie shambled toward her from behind, only to be cut down by an axe swing from Felix.

“Come on!” he said, already running toward the ruined forest’s exit.

Celia was right behind him, as was Blake. He had a hand over his wound the whole time, grimacing at the sight of blood leaking onto his dark skin. They ran past more zombies, and arrows whizzed by from skeletons concealed in the woods, but nothing impeded their escape.

Nothing save for a mossy quadruped which blocked the way just as the end of the trees came into view. The creeper’s eyes, soulless and black, narrowed at them. It scuttled forward, hissing.

Blake fumbled through his inventory for the skeleton’s bow, drawing an arrow back on the frail string. The wound stung fiercely, disrupting his aim, and his shot went over the mob’s head. Clenching his jaw, he tried again. His second arrow embedded in its torso, but the creeper continued to charge. As Blake drew the bow for a third time, its string snapped outright and the arrow clumsily fired into a tree.

“Have any more arrows?” Felix asked. “Let me use them!”

With his vision becoming shaky from the injury, he passed over his last three arrows. Felix, in quick succession, set up a dispenser and a button on the ground. Three frantic presses later, the creeper went down with a total of four wooden shafts protruding from its body. Now that the path was clear, they finally broke free of the forest.

Blake squinted. They had made it to the beach, and the sun was still high. The waves gently lapped over the sand, jarringly tranquil after their harrowing escape. Even the shore itself appeared smoother than expected, a series of blurring lines instead of blocks presenting themselves to the trio.

“Oh…”

He realized it was his _vision_ that had blurred. The wound continued to bleed, more so than he’d realized. All Blake heard as he stumbled forward was Celia crying out in alarm, then consciousness left him.


	5. In Medias Res

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blake learns more about the situation from Celia and Felix after their narrow escape from Ray's forces.

**Chapter 5: In Medias Res**

Consciousness returned to Blake when he hit the floor with a hard “thud,” landing on his injured side. He groaned and put a hand on his hip in an attempt to ease the dull ache. Although the effort was pointless, he _did_ notice that his palm didn’t feel wet. He wasn’t bleeding anymore, and his slash wound seemed to be gone altogether.

_“Where…?”_

He’d passed out in the sand, but he was neither on a beach nor back in the forest. Blake sat in a cramped room with a row of beds lined up along the walls, dimly illuminated by a lone torch in the corner. His surroundings were made of wooden planks, though curiously of no universal type. Oak, spruce, acacia, and jungle blocks all came together for a very patchwork-looking construction job. The room had no windows and a single birch door on the opposite wall to the beds.

“Did I get captured-“

As he tried to stand, the floor rocked under him. He stumbled and landed on his rear, hitting the back of his head against the bed he’d already fallen out of. While Blake rubbed the stars out of his vision, the door opened.

“I knew I heard something! Are you okay?”

It was the redheaded girl- Celia, he remembered. She stood by him, hesitantly offering a hand. Blake took it and dragged himself to his feet before the floor could sway again.

“I’m… fine,” he managed to say. “The wound’s gone. What happened?”

Celia’s eyes were locked onto his torn purple shirt, as if to verify his claim.

“Felix and I scurried to stabilize you,” she said after a moment. “We found some cold pork chops among your belongings and fed them to you after you lost consciousness. Thankfully, it would seem that your body was able to recover quickly on a full stomach.”

“Never underestimate the healing power of pork,” he muttered. “How long’s it been? Where are we?”

The floor lurched again, nearly causing him to fall over. Celia, who seemed unaffected, helped keep him steady.

“I believe you were only unconscious for an hour or so. We’re currently at sea, putting more distance between us and our pursuers… perhaps you should come outside with me. You must have many questions.”

Nodding, Blake followed her out the door and onto the sunlit deck. The rest of the small boat was similarly made of assorted wooden planks, with a flat deck and a makeshift railing of mismatched fence posts. Despite the relatively strong winds, there was no sail or mast; how the craft propelled itself was unclear. Felix stood at the bow, fiddling with a series of buttons and levers. Ahead, Blake could see nothing but waves. Behind, the enormous tree was still visible, but they’d clearly moved a good distance from the beach.

“We can take you back if you would like,” Celia said as she placed a wooden plank on the deck and sat on it, “but we ask that you listen to what we have to say first.”

Why was he having trouble figuring out a response all of a sudden? It had been over a year since his last major interactions with other people, but he couldn’t have forgotten how to socialize _that_ much, could he?

“I… don’t want to go back. I’m moving on.”

He cleared his throat hard, still trying adjust to speaking again. Celia frowned.

“Are you well? You’ve been hoarse ever since we ran into one another.”

“Sorry! It’s been a while!” he blurted out.

She only seemed more confused. Felix, who was now looking over his shoulder at them, had a quizzical expression of his own.

“I haven’t really talked to anyone in a long time,” Blake said after a long sigh. “Sorry. I’m trying to relearn it.”

“That’s… fine, I suppose,” Celia replied. “Very well. As I said, you must have many questions. Perhaps you can find your voice by asking them?”

He nodded, resisting the urge to ask everything at once. When he had vowed to set out and find a new purpose, he didn’t think he’d so quickly wind up in the middle of someone else’s story.

“Okay. First, did those people say you were a princess…?”

“Countess,” Celia said with a big smile. “My father is the Duke of Luxmouth, the Ever-Glowing City.”

Blake had heard of self-appointed royalty among other villages, but this was the first time he’d ever met an actual figure of authority. He had even less of an idea how to conduct himself now.

“Who’s he, then?” he asked, pointing to Felix. “Your bodyguard?”

“Felix comes from a family of craftsmen and architects. They have been personally commissioned by House Lumis many times since the days of our great-grandparents.”

She grinned again.

“And, he is a good friend. We grew up together.”

Blake raised a brow.

“Not really a fighter, then? Do you not have any guards?”

At this, Celia’s face fell. He saw Felix cringe out of the corner of his eye.

“We came here ourselves. Our city can hardly spare the resources and manpower to track down a Genesis Core in the midst of an invasion.”

There it was, the topic he’d really wanted to get to. Once more, Blake refrained from blurting out every question he had in mind.

“Invasion? Is that what the magic bonemeal orb I found is about?”

“Partially,” Felix said, finally turning to face them. Whatever he was doing at the controls, it seemed his full attention wasn’t needed at the moment. “It’s one of many special objects called Genesis Cores. They imbue their wielders with immense amounts of power over specific elements. In your case, you found a Bonemeal Core.”

Blake could still feel its energy lightly pulsing within him. It was a surreal sensation, but there was nevertheless a strange sort of comfort about it.

“ _A_ Bonemeal Core? There are others?”

“One other,” said Celia, “that is currently housed in Luxmouth, bound to nobody. All Genesis Cores come in pairs, one colored brilliant gold and the other a cool amethyst. Yours was the latter, I presume?”

He nodded. His new acquaintances both seemed to perk up, with Celia in particular appearing utterly elated.

“Did you know who those other people were?” he asked, recalling the brashness with which she had spoken against Ray. “They were hunting me down over the orb.”

Just like that, the cheery mood faded. The two strangers looked back at the enormous tree, which had become smaller on the horizon.

“They are agents of our enemies, the invaders,” Celia murmured, seeming deeply troubled. “Agents of the Usurpation Army.”

As intrigued as Blake was to hear more, his thoughts briefly turned to the enemies they’d just escaped.

_“I wonder what happened to them…”_

* * *

Sunlight trickled through the thinning branches as Ray stumbled toward the forest’s exit. With one hand he held his dirtied iron sword, with the other he clutched at a gash on his stomach. More zombies than even he, with his Grass Core, could handle had zeroed in on their position. Ray’s cloak was in tatters, and he sported small wounds everywhere. He was injured, both in pride and body, but he was alive.

The same couldn’t be said for the rest of Lime Squad.

_“All gone… except me. What kind of sick fate is this?”_

He’d known them for years. They had fought and struggled together, surviving against all odds in the chaotic place they called home. The group had worked well enough as a team to be assigned Genesis Core Retrieval duties- Ray had even been _given_ one of the artifacts!

_“They trusted me to guide them. We were supposed to be unstoppable together, weren’t we?”_

He nearly tripped over a fallen sapling as he finally broke free of the woods.

_“Weren’t we…?”_

When he staggered onto the beach, his heart sank even further: the small ship he and Lime Squad had arrived in was nowhere to be seen. Ray walked along the shore, desperately trying to convince himself that he just wasn’t looking in the right place, but it was for naught. All that awaited him was a pair of wooden single-rider boats, abandoned several chunks away from where his team had landed.

He sat down in the sand, withdrawing a pair of items from his inventory. The first was a potion of healing, of which he drank half and sprinkled the rest onto his various injuries. As Ray recovered, he examined the second object: a modified map which tracked Genesis Cores. Two readings were displayed, one for his own Grass Core, and the other for the wayward Bonemeal Core. Finding them should have been nigh impossible without a radar, so how the “Countess” had tracked one down was a mystery to him.

_“She might have followed us. But those simple rowboats could never keep up with our redstone engines…”_

The reality of his situation weighed on him, regardless of probability. He had been foiled, his team was gone, and without the ship it would take much longer to regroup with the rest of the army. All of this humiliation had come at the hands of a trio of lowly Inlanders- he would _never_ live it down.

“Hey there, stranger…”

Ray looked back toward the woods, scowling. A large-nosed, gray-skinned creature was leering at him from just a short distance away, casually resting an axe against his shoulder and carrying a banner. Two others, too similar in appearance for him to bother differentiating them, were standing at the newcomer’s sides. One of them also wielded an axe, while the other had a crossbow loaded. His eyes narrowed when he realized that the gray people were holding scraps of tan cloth and metal masks.

“Are these yours?” the leader chuckled. “We picked ‘em up off some poor saps under this giant tree. They’d probably get us some real prestige from our brothers in arms. Your garb seems the most intact, though, and I’m feeling generous. Why don’t you hand it over to us, and we won’t hurt you?”

Ray looked out at the ocean. He could never catch up to the trio in just a rowboat- but he could follow them nonetheless.

“I’m _talking_ to you, human.”

“I… am _not_ in the mood to listen to your blathering, Inlander.”

He got up, wiping some sand off of his cloak. His sword was gripped tight.

“Eh? Inlander? Never heard ‘o that,” the leader said with a hum. “Ring a bell for you, Johnny?”

The second axe-wielder shook his head.

“Well, it doesn’t really matter. We’ll be taking everything you’ve got on hand now.”

Ray, despite all of the day’s humiliations, smirked. He turned fully to face the three brigands.

“You know, I ought to thank you. I’ve had _quite_ the rough day, you see. I should be following the people who got my team killed, but…”

As they raised their weapons, he let out a deep chuckle. The Grass Core’s power welled up within Ray, and he brought up his sword.

_“…I could use something to vent my frustrations against first.”_

He’d easily dispatch these pests. Then the _real_ hunt was on.

* * *

“The invasion began about two months ago,” said Celia, “catching all in our region by surprise. Since then, the Usurpation has overtaken many settlements with the powers of their Genesis Cores. I fear they will reach our home soon enough.”

Blake was equal parts enraptured and troubled by the tale. So much had happened out in the world while he remained isolated; if he hadn’t left home, would the war have eventually found him anyway? He didn’t believe in destinies apart from those which people made for themselves- that was what he’d set out for in the first place. Yet a part of Blake acknowledged that he’d been unwittingly roped into the conflict from the moment he’d chosen to investigate the giant tree.

“What else do you know about them?” he asked.

“Scarcely anything, I’m afraid. Their motives are as difficult to grasp as their operatives in most scenarios.”

There was an awkward silence before Blake spoke again.

“Well then… what’s your next move?”

“Our course is set for Luxmouth,” Felix said, “where we can help you remove the Bonemeal Core. _Without_ having to cause you harm like the Usurpation wanted to, of course.”

Celia’s hands were clasped together.

“I understand you may find this all a bit overwhelming- it is the case for us as well. But I beg of you to at least accompany us to our city, so that the Core does not fall into the wrong hands. You mentioned not wanting to go home?”

He wasn’t sure how to describe the confused knot of reactions that had entangled his head. This _was_ overwhelming him.

“That’s right. I’ve been at home for too long, anyway. I…”

Although Blake hesitated in continuing, he knew there was no turning back. He’d made a commitment to himself, one he didn’t plan on breaking.

“I’ll come with you,” he said. “I’d planned to cross overseas in the first place, so I might as well.”

Celia beamed at him.

“You will be well compensated for your cooperation, I assure you. For the moment, all I can offer is my gratitude. Felix! How long will the return voyage take?”

Their helmsman took off his leather helmet, enjoying the ocean breeze.

“Well, given how much faster this Usurpation craft is than our rowboats, we’ll make much better time than we did on the way here. We won’t even need to stop to make camp on any small islands, so… maybe six days, without any complications.”

Blake leaned over the rail. He could see water churning at the rear of the boat, and propelling it by some mechanism unfamiliar to him. He assumed it was the work of some redstone gadget, but couldn’t fathom how it might have worked. Engineering was _not_ his specialty.

“Did you say Usurpation? Is this ship stolen?”

Celia giggled.

“Our assailants were thoughtful enough to leave their vessel unsupervised. We weren’t about to bring you overseas in a pair of rowboats with such an opportunity before us, and Felix was able to learn how to control it rather quickly. We considered returning for the Grass Core the agents possessed, but we felt it would be best not to push our luck after such a perilous escape.”

When Celia turned to look out over the railing ahead, Felix pointed toward himself after her last remark with an exasperated expression. Blake got the message.

_“They seem nice enough. I guess as long as we’ve got a common enemy, I’ll stick with them.”_

The tree, and his old home, were getting smaller in the distance. Blake joined Celia and Felix at the front of the deck, wordlessly gazing at the ocean.

For the first time in a while, he felt he had some direction in his life.

**End of Part One**


	6. En Route to Luxmouth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the voyage overseas commences, Blake takes some time to practice with the Bonemeal Core and gets to know Felix a bit better. However, the trio soon come across another strange phenomenon.

**PART TWO: NEW COMPANIONS**

**Chapter 6: En Route to Luxmouth**

Blake stepped onto the deck with a yawn. The sun was just beginning to rise, marking the second day of his voyage at sea. Thankfully, the remainder of the first had passed uneventfully, and he’d even managed to get used to the swaying with relative ease. Rather than attempt to continue traveling in the dark, they’d agreed to leave the boat at a standstill until morning.

Celia was slumped against the railing with bags under her eyes. She jerked upright when he stepped out from the cabin, trying not to look like she’d been nodding off.

“Is my watch over already? I can keep going.”

“I thought you said you’d wake up Felix in the middle of the night,” he said, perhaps a bit too accusatorily.

Celia stood up and stretched.

“He’s the only one of us who understands how to operate this craft. He above all should get the most rest; what if we encounter rough waters which demand his full attention to navigate and he’s still feeling drowsy?”

Blake frowned.

“What if we get attacked by drowned and you’re too tired to help us fight them off?”

“I can hold my own just fine,” she retorted, rubbing her eyes, “even on minimal sleep. Besides, you showed remarkable talent with that stone blade of yours against the Usurpation. Surely you could best a waterlogged, shambling corpse?”

He rolled his eyes.

“Just go to bed, I’ll keep watch until Felix wakes up. We’ll get moving once he’s ready.”

Offering a curt nod, Celia stumbled past him and entered the cabin. Blake wondered if falling asleep out there on the deck like she almost had would have been more comfortable, because the room was _tiny._ The beds were nearly close enough to bump into one another whenever the boat swayed, and the cabin looked to have housed a maximum of _eight_ people. How Ray and his peons could stand the condensed space was beyond Blake; even when it was just him and Felix on opposite ends of the room the night before, he felt crowded.

The sunrise was pleasant, at least. He stared at the waters ahead again, imagining what awaited him in Luxmouth. Had they not been pressed for time by a supposed invasion, Blake might have been more eager to sightsee when they arrived, but that didn’t stop him from daydreaming just a tad.

_“I wonder if any of the others ever went this way when they left home. Could I be the first of us to travel overseas?”_

He winced as he leaned against the rail. The battle the morning prior had taken its toll: his side still ached from the injury, and he was sore all over. Given the sheer number of opponents, and how he’d operated on muscle memory alone, it was a wonder that he and his new companions had come away so relatively unscathed.

_“I doubt that’s the last of those Usurpers I’m going to see. I’ll need to get back in shape.”_

The cabin’s door opened with a creak. Felix emerged, looking the most alert of the three. Having neglected to don his leather chestplate, his simple undershirt was finally visible to Blake. It was only notable due to how _messy_ it was; dust and gunpowder stains adorned the garment, but there were also traces of redstone discoloration in the cloth.

“Did I sleep in?” Felix asked, squinting in the growing light.

Blake shook his head.

“Celia never tried to wake you up. Apparently she decided it’d be better to just power through the whole night and crash in the morning, so you could have more time to rest. ”

Felix approached the boat’s controls and fiddled with a few levers. The deck trembled as something below them hummed to life, and they slowly began to move through the water.

“I… guess I can see her logic. This vessel is hard enough to steer as it is, so drowsiness wouldn’t help matters.”

“I thought she said you learned how to drive it easily,” Blake said.

“I learned how to get us _moving_ easily,” Felix replied, not looking up from the controls. “Actually controlling our direction is a different matter. I haven’t had time to investigate the inner workings of the boat, but my current guess is the Usurpation has put together a very complex series of sticky pistons, observers, and redstone repeaters, among other components. The contraption somehow enables on-the-spot turning.”

Blake stared at the levers and buttons adorning the bow of the ship and found he followed precisely none of what was just said.

“Uh… maybe I’m better off without an explanation.”

Felix shrugged.

“If you say so. We’ve managed to recover quite a few new technologies from the Usurpation, you know. Were they not attempting to invade, cooperation might have led to all sorts of advances in crafting and engineering- even regarding the simplest of tools! Remember their curved swords?”

“I remember the agents trying to kill us with them,” Blake deadpanned.

“Oh… um, right.”

Felix deflated and returned his attention to the controls. An awkward silence fell over them, the only reprieve being the gentle sound of the waves as their boat cruised onward.

The gentle pulsing of the Bonemeal Core had since settled down, to the point that it wasn’t very noticeable. He still had so many questions about it, and the worst part was he had no idea if there even _were_ answers to many of them. Was removing it without harming him even possible? If the invasion was based around Genesis Cores like the one he harbored, would he remain a target for the Usurpation?

_“And if it can’t be removed, what’ll happen to me? Are these Luxmouth people going to keep me in the city? Lock me up? Will I have to hide from them AND the Usurpation?”_

He paused, trying not to get too worked up considering the possibilities. The last thing he wanted was to be paranoid, and it wasn’t as if his new companions had shown him any hostility.

_“I guess they could’ve done me in overnight if that was their goal. I’m not sure what other reason they’d keep me alive for if they want the Core so badly.”_

As Blake mulled over the possibilities, he realized that he’d neglected to ask one of the simplest questions on his mind.

“Hey. How did you two find me, anyway?”

Felix hesitated, then pushed a few more buttons before throwing a lever. The boat slowed to a crawl, and he headed back toward the cabin.

“One second, I need to get something,” he said over his shoulder.

While he was gone, Blake’s attention returned to the sea. He stared straight down, watching the waves ripple around the boat as it chugged along. Seagrass swayed on the floor of the warm ocean, piquing his curiosity.

_“Concentrate, right…? Imagine it growing…”_

A moment later, to Blake’s amusement, an unusually tall clump of seagrass protruded from the sand. It wasn’t tall enough to reach the surface of the water, still being five or six blocks short, but the effect was impressive regardless.

_“I wonder if I can learn how to control the effect better.”_

As he was admiring the plant, as well as the curious fish which had gathered to investigate, he saw something in the corner of his eye. Tucked away between more seagrass and a coral reef, Blake could just barely make out the corner of a pale blue block. He didn’t see it for long before the boat had trundled past, but he was fairly confident that it wasn’t a typical sight for a warm ocean.

“Here, take a look at this.”

Felix was back on deck, holding a yellowish scrap of paper. He spread the map open, and Blake tried to process what he was looking at while his ally explained.

“This was confiscated from a Usurpation team which tried to sneak into Luxmouth. It didn’t take us long to determine it’s a radar built to track Genesis Cores.”

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” he murmured. He noticed that the sole object on the map- a purple sphere- had a set of coordinates nearly reading 0/0/0.

“My working theory is it’s some combination of a map and modified compass,” said Felix, “but we’re still not sure of the technique used to make it. You can’t just craft those two items together, after all, so the Usurpation must have more tricks of the trade than we could imagine.”

Blake took a step to the side to get a different view of the radar, upon which the X and Z coordinates very slightly altered. Surprised, he shuffled closer to Felix to look directly at it again. The numbers returned to roughly the same values as before.

“Is it following _me?_ ”

“You have the purple Bonemeal Core, so it points to you. Luxmouth’s researchers were able to have the map locate it by configuring the radar to the yellow one’s energy signature. Of course, there was no assurance that it _was_ tracking the twin Core at the time, but I think that’s been settled by now.”

“You’re losing me with the jargon again,” Blake said. Felix quieted down quickly.

“Basically, if you have a radar and one Core, you can lock onto the other.”

The sheet had two additional spaces beneath the purple sphere’s coordinates, allowing a total of three Genesis Cores at a time to be monitored. Currently, however, only the first space was filled.

“That guy in charge- Ray- could control the grass with his own Core,” Blake remarked. “Were you able to track him, too?”

Felix stowed the map away in his inventory got the ship moving again.

“Once we got close enough to him, yeah. I think if the radar hasn’t been configured to find a certain Genesis Core, it’ll just detect them whenever one is close enough. But I have no idea _how_ close that is.”

_“These people are just full of mysteries.”_

His eyes wandered to the ocean again, just in time for another unusual sight to pass by at the seafloor. This time, Blake got a good enough view of the block’s pale blue, glassy surface.

“Did you just see that? There was an ice block below us.”

“In the middle of a warm ocean?” Felix asked, looking puzzled. “Are you sure?”

He nodded.

“I swear I saw one earlier, too. Maybe we’re getting closer to a cold biome- but that doesn’t seem likely.”

Felix shrugged.

“We didn’t pass through any tundra or the like on our way here. Is it a freak accident of nature, or did someone else drop ice blocks overboard?”

“I’m not sure which one I believe less,” Blake muttered.

Regardless of the explanation, and despite how warm it was out, the ice continued to appear as the day wore on. More and more blocks were visible underwater in large clusters, jutting out of the coral reefs like scaled-down mountain ranges. By the time Celia exited the cabin shortly after noon, the ice had reached the water’s surface- and it was _everywhere_ around them.

“What’s all this, then?”

Blake grandly spread out his arms as if unveiling the sight to her.

“A frozen warm ocean, your nobleness! Impressed?”

Celia didn’t look amused.

“I can see _that_. Why is it frozen?”

“Good question. I don’t see snow anywhere, so I don’t think we’ve entered a different biome.”

“This might be a problem for our progress,” Felix added. “The ice is thickening, and we might not be able to cross it in this boat. I can’t say how long it would take for us to find another way around.”

Blake looked through his bag, withdrawing the wooden pickaxe he’d made before reaching the tree. He leaned over the rail and experimentally swung at a block of ice close to the ship. It smashed apart easily.

“Excellent thinking!” Celia exclaimed. “We can just break through whatever gets in the way!”

However, Blake shook his head.

“Maybe for a few ice blocks, but I’ve only got a wooden pickaxe. It won’t hold up long enough to get us through all of _this_. Do either of you have something stronger?”

“I have an iron pickaxe,” said Felix, “though that would only delay the same problem. There’s more ice ahead of us than I think we can just break through.”

Celia didn’t seem to be listening to either of them. She stood against the rail, squinting.

“Look over there!”

She was pointing at something off the port bow, a few chunks away. The ice blocks in the distance were arranged in cube clusters, each large enough to encase a person. Some had partially melted away, revealing that their occupants were much worse: undead husks with teal, rotting flesh. Even from that distance, Blake could see the blue glow of their eyes as they pulled themselves free of the icy cells. Some even wielded tridents.

“Felix,” he said, unable to look away, “take out the map again.”

The drowned didn’t seem interested in pursuing them from so far away, but that was hardly his concern. From the inexplicable ice to the encaged mobs, the evidence had birthed a worrying thought- one that was confirmed by Felix’s reply.

“There’s another Genesis Core being tracked! It’s a yellow one, and we’re moving in its direction.”

Celia perked up.

“This is our chance to claim another! Perhaps it is the cause of this unnatural phenomenon? How far away are we?”

Something had appeared in the distance, where the icy shoals were so thick as to be one continuous layer. A cobblestone tower of crude, bland design loomed over the frozen sea. The only notable detail aside from its height was a gray banner hanging on its side, sporting the black outline of a circle with four hands surrounding it.

“Not far enough,” Felix murmured, “the signal’s coming from that structure.”

A small group of people exited the tower, all looking in their direction. They were too far to make out specific details, but Blake found their cloaks more than a little familiar.

The Usurpation had established a base in those waters- and its agents were swiftly crossing the ice toward them.


	7. A Frigid Welcome

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As another Usurpation squad joins the hunt for the trio, Blake and Celia struggle to see eye-to-eye in deciding how best to proceed.

**Chapter 7: A Frigid Welcome**

Blake’s pulse quickened, and he drew his stone blade. The Usurpation agents were largely unimpeded by the icy terrain as they closed the distance, now near enough that he could make out the black bandanas they all wore. Although their boat had passed by the tower, the ice was thickening ahead of them. They could not go straight for much longer.

“What’s the plan?” Felix shakily asked.

Celia held her iron sword tight. She did her best to look stoic, but her apprehension was evident nonetheless.

“Can you get us out of here?”

“That’s gonna be a problem,” Blake remarked, glancing in every direction. “We have enemies to the right, and the drowned to the left. If we go further ahead we’ll eventually run into too much ice to fit the boat, but if we try to turn back the agents will reach us before we can get clear!”

He hurriedly considered the possibilities. There was no way to manipulate the environment to their advantage like with Ray, and without that he doubted the three of them could fight off the dozen or so people who were giving chase.

_“I think… the best chance we have is to turn and head for the drowned. It’ll at least be easier to outsmart some undead freaks with no brains.”_

He grimaced.

_“On the other hand, what if a bunch of them have tridents? What if the ice is too thick that way, too? Maybe it’d be better if we…”_

“Our options are limited,” Celia announced. “Felix, move us as fast as this ship will allow. Push straight through the ice, as far as we can go!”

As much Blake he wanted to voice his concern of finite space, and take another moment to consider a plan, it seemed Felix wasn’t going to argue against her command. He brought a hand down on one of the buttons hard enough to slightly crack the wood block on which it was set. With a lurch, the boat accelerated through the ever-icier water.

“Good! We’re already putting a few chunks between us,” said Celia. “Go get yourself equipped; Blake and I will manage things out here. We need not tamper with the controls, correct?”

Felix looked concerned.

“That’s right, the ship’s course is set. There’s no other direction we can go, at any rate. But the agents didn’t seem to have any trouble traversing the ice, and I’m worried they’ll be able to catch up.”

“One step at a time!” she blustered. “We’ve evaded them for now, and we can determine our next objective momentarily!”

While Felix ran back into the cabin to fetch his leather armor, Blake turned to Celia with a frown.

“Are you just coming up with this on the fly?”

She narrowed her eyes.

“We had no time to formulate a different plan.”

“So you decided it’d be best to power ahead when our space is already limited?” Blake challenged.

“I would have loved to hear _your_ suggestion in the heat of the moment!”

He clenched a fist. How was it so difficult for her to stop and think for a second?

“ _Maybe_ we could’ve turned and gone toward the drowned instead. We’d probably stand more of a chance against them than the Usurpation, and there might have been a way out of the ice. It would’ve been better than _this._ ”

“I thought you said you were concerned about having to fight drowned,” Celia snapped.

“Well, Princess, now that _you’re_ all rested up I thought we could have handled it!”

Her mouth was agape, and her indignant expression was almost bitterly satisfying to him.

“How _dare_ -“

The boat was suddenly rocked by a hard impact, and Blake heard the scrape of wood blocks against ice. Somewhere below his feet, the collision was followed by a horrible grinding noise, and their speed noticeably decreased.

“I knew this was gonna happen,” he groaned.

Felix returned to the deck garbed in his leather helmet and chestplate, and looking _very_ uneasy.

“We won’t be able to go much further,” Blake told him. “The ice is getting too thick!”

Another collision shook the boat, and the mechanical grinding noises from below deck worsened. As their pace further diminished, Felix looked at the Genesis Core map.

“The other signal is still following us. They’ll catch up in a matter of minutes once we come to a stop.”

“We can’t fight them all off,” Blake said, “and there’s nowhere for us to run on top of this ice.”

“Hold on! I might have an idea.”

Felix put the map away and withdrew the iron pickaxe he’d mentioned from his inventory.

“Does anyone have a shovel? Dirt blocks wouldn’t go amiss either.”

Blake racked his brain for what he could have been planning, but it wasn’t clicking.

“I’ve got both. The shovel’s made of wood, though.”

“Nothing sturdier? It’ll have to do… Actually, that gives me _another_ idea. Do you have wooden planks?”

“Yeah, eight left.”

Felix nodded and set a crafting table on the deck.

“Could you make three doors for us?”

The trio stumbled when the boat came to a dead stop, having crashed into something. Blake looked over the rail to see the surface of the ocean was frozen solid ahead of them.

“Doors?” asked Celia. “How are _doors_ going to help us?”

“I don’t get it either. But I’ll take whatever he has in mind over another snap decision your nobleness would like to doom us with instead,” Blake said dryly.

Ignoring the venomous look she was shooting his way, he got to work at the crafting table. He arranged six wooden plank blocks on its surface in a rectangle, and after some on-the-spot carpentry he’d created three oak doors.

“Done. Now what?”

Felix took two of the doors and gave one to Celia, then returned the crafting table to his inventory.

“Our only route of escape is down. Follow me, please.”

The three of them hopped over the boat’s railing onto the frozen sea, careful not to lose their footing. Felix used his pickaxe to dig a hole one block wide in the ice.

“Now, we have to place these doors at the seafloor and stay close to them. I’ll go first.”

Before Blake could ask what exactly he had in mind, he’d already jumped into the water and sunken below the surface.

“Suddenly I’m not so sure about this,” he muttered. “I don’t even know what he thinks doors are going to do for us.”

Celia stared at the hole with apprehension.

“I have my doubts as well… but I did _not_ come all this way to have another Genesis Core fall into Usurpation hands. We will follow his lead for the moment.”

She entered the hole after Felix, leaving Blake standing there with a wooden shovel in one hand and a door in the other. He felt more than a little ridiculous.

_“Who knows? Maybe if I drown, the Bonemeal Core will be lost under the waves and the Usurpation won’t be able to find it.”_

That prospect did nothing to make him more optimistic, yet he didn’t have any better ideas. He took the deepest breath he could and plunged into the water.

As expected of a “frozen warm ocean,” the temperature beneath the surface was neither frigid nor tepid but something halfway between. Blake’s eyes stung when he tried to open them, so he forced them shut. In a panic, he attempted to resurface but couldn’t find the hole he’d entered mere seconds beforehand.

_“I can’t see, and there’s no way back up! I really will drown- no, no, what did he say to do?”_

Desperately hoping that Felix knew what he was doing, Blake allowed himself to sink until he felt solid ground underfoot, then firmly jammed his door into the dirt.

Nothing would likely catch him by surprise as much as the giant tree had, but suddenly finding himself in a block-shaped pocket of air behind the door came close. He was soaked and uncomfortable, and his lungs ached as he exhaled hard. Yet he was able to breathe and see just fine, as if the water had simply repelled from the door.

_“That’s… a neat trick.”_

Celia and Felix were nearby, encased in their own small air pockets. The latter was pointing to him and making a digging gesture at his feet. Finally understanding the plan, Blake began to tunnel out a hole in the seafloor with his wooden shovel. After going a few blocks beneath the uppermost layer, he then dug a small crevice where the flow of water was blocked, returning as needed to his air pocket. Once it was done, he beckoned for the others to follow him into the hole, blocking up the tunnel with a dirt block after all three were safely inside.

The space was cramped, the air musty, and the visibility nonexistent. It might have been more comfortable to remain beside the doors. Despite the conditions, he couldn’t deny that the cave made for a better hiding spot.

“Is everyone okay?” Blake asked, leaning against a wall and blinking in the darkness.

“I am,” he heard Felix say. “I’ve got the doors, too.”

Celia was still trying to catch her breath.

“A bit too soggy for my liking, but otherwise I’m unharmed. Very clever, Felix! How did you know to do this?”

“Construction experience. Doors take up the width of a single block and the height of two, but the rest of the volume is empty space. Water just flows over it somehow, leaving a breathable gap. I’ve known this trick for a while.”

Blake removed his waterlogged jacket. He was only marginally more comfortable.

“Does anyone have a torch?” he asked aloud.

The cave was filled by a gentle glow when Felix put one on the ground. His clothes and leather armor were also dripping wet, but his shorter blond hair clung to his face less than Blake’s. Celia looked the worst off, with her white dress and long hair utterly drenched. She tried to wipe a few red locks out of her face, seeming dismayed.

“There’s a problem,” Blake said. “If they chase us down here, we’ve got nowhere to run.”

They gathered around the torch to warm up as much as possible.

“Could you keep digging ahead?” Celia asked, looking at one of the dirt walls.

He inspected his shovel and found it already showed signs of wear.

“This’ll break before we get very far.”

“They’re here,” Felix announced, his tone grim.

The map still showed the relative position of the yellow Genesis Core, revealing it to be somewhere above them. It, or rather its owner, appeared to be meandering around where the boat had come to a stop. With no other way to tell what was happening, the trio kept their eyes on the map’s “Y” coordinates.

A few of the longest minutes in Blake’s life passed in silence, apart from the stifled breaths of his companions and his own pounding heart. Being left buried alive crossed his mind more than once, as did the cave flooding and drowning them all. He wasn’t sure which fate sounded worse.

“Look at the map!” Celia gasped, causing both him and Felix to jump.

Not once had the “Y” coordinate changed, and now the “Z” value was steadily increasing. The Core wielder was moving away from them in the direction they’d come from.

“They’re leaving,” she continued, “so we should get back to the surface now.”

Blake noticed Felix’s half-open mouth, like he’d been about to say something in response to Celia’s plan. It was clear they had the same concern in mind, but for some reason Felix seemed unwilling to spit it out.

“Not so fast,” Blake said for them both. “For all we know, only the one with the Genesis Core is on the move. The rest of their henchmen could still be up there, looking for us.”

She tapped her chin.

“You make a fair point. Very well, we can remain hidden for now. Let’s at least attempt to make this space more comfortable while we wait; it’s a tad cramped.”

The three of them set about widening the cave by digging into the dirt with their hands- Blake in particular wanted to preserve his shovel in case of an emergency.

“A thought occurs,” he said as he collected more dirt blocks. “You told me the radar you have was taken from a captured Usurpation team, right?”

“That’s correct. Luxmouth acquired it about three weeks ago,” Felix replied.

Blake frowned.

“Ray also must’ve had one, unless he blindly made his way to the beach near my old home. So, if the radars can tell where I am, why didn’t the team we just dodged come down here after us?”

Celia wasn’t digging very fast, trying to avoid dirtying her white dress any further.

“Perhaps they can’t swim? It would explain why they froze over the ocean.”

“They could’ve frozen a tunnel leading to us without having to enter the water,” he countered.

With the cave widened to give them each a bit more space, they sat down to continue waiting. Felix inspected the map again.

“The yellow Genesis Core isn’t close enough to track anymore. I don’t know where they are.”

He paused, then looked up from it.

“Maybe they _don’t_ have a radar. These tools are pretty complex, after all, so only certain groups in the Usurpation could be given them.”

Celia, still trying in vain to get her soaked hair out of her eyes, grinned.

“Which gives _us_ the edge as we prepare our next escape plan. I suggest we wait for another hour or so, then return to the surface. If we cannot travel any further by boat, we have no choice but to cross the ice itself.”

Her eyes flashed toward Blake for just an instant, as if challenging him to respond. He was trying to brainstorm a solution of his own, but it had become quite clear that he and Celia didn’t see eye-to-eye when it came to planning.

_“Fine, I’ll indulge her for now…”_

What he _didn’t_ get was Felix’s willingness to go along with her half-baked ideas. He knew her better, of course, so maybe he’d long since become numb to it. However, in the short time Blake had known him, Felix had displayed impressive ingenuity and adaptability. Did those traits not compel him to speak up against Celia even a little?

_“It’s not like he’s her servant or anything; she said herself that they’ve been friends for a long time. Is he just too afraid of offending her?”_

Unwilling to talk to Felix about that thought in earshot of Celia, Blake waved it off and tried to find a comfortable way to sit while they kept waiting.

* * *

Very little could get under Tara’s skin. She, as the leader of Crimson Squad, prided herself on keeping a cool head in any situation. It was her tenacity which had gotten her the rank of Knight, as well as the far more prestigious responsibility of caring for the light Ice Core, and she refused to let her composure falter as such. _Nobody_ would ever see her show a sign of weakness.

That was why, when an underling of hers had reported Lime Squad’s carrier not returning directly to their outpost but instead trying to travel past, she’d merely stood up and strode out the door of her makeshift office with no change in expression.

“Sir Ray would not have deviated from our agreement,” she had told her rallying soldiers on their way out of the cobblestone base, “their vessel must have been stolen. Capture the interlopers for questioning.”

The carrier was beyond even Tara’s reach by the time she’d made it outside, though that hadn’t concerned her at the time. She may not have been able to freeze it in place, but trooper Crimson-6 had reported that it wouldn’t be long before the thieves were in their grasp.

“Three Inlanders seem to have stolen the carrier, but they’re steering it straight ahead into the frozen sea,” he’d said. “They’ll have nowhere to run within minutes, Lady Tara. And once they’ve come to a stop, Crimsons 9 through 20 will be ready to apprehend them.”

“As will I,” she had replied before starting across the ice to follow them.

Some things demanded personal intervention, after all. Ray had allowed his carrier to be stolen, and Tara wanted a look at the perpetrators. But when she caught up to her troopers, all that was to be found was the abandoned vessel, with no Inlanders in sight.

“Maybe they escaped through here,” she heard trooper Crimson-18 say.

A quartet of her soldiers were gathered around a single-block gap in the ice, staring into the water. Her eyes narrowed.

“Everyone climb aboard Lime Squad’s carrier,” Tara announced.

Once she and her underlings were safely on deck, she allowed the Ice Core’s power to expel freely from her. The frozen waters in a wide radius instantly melted, but no corpses floated to the surface.

“As I suspected,” she continued, “the thieves could not have gone below the ice. There would be nowhere to go, and they would have drowned. They must have traveled further on foot. Someone get us moving; we will continue our search.”

Tara stood at the carrier’s bow, then used her power to clear a larger path ahead. Nothing, not even the thieves’ narrow escape, would faze her.

But she would make them pay for the attempt nonetheless.


	8. Tension

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trio encounter more difficulties in their escape, particularly the mounting agitation between Blake and Celia. Meanwhile, Ray and Tara continue their pursuit.

**Chapter 8: Tension**

“Felix? What are you doing?”

He jolted at Celia’s question, sitting upright so fast his head collided with the dirt wall. She was giving him a quizzical look from where she sat on an opposite end of the tiny cavern. Blake, in a corner, was absentmindedly tracing his hand through the dirt.

“Just looking over some notes,” Felix replied, showing her the book he’d been writing in. “I’m trying to figure out how that Usurpation boat’s inner mechanisms might’ve looked.”

The pages were covered in arrangements of pistons, slime blocks, observers, and redstone repeaters. He’d spent the better part of an hour drawing out diagrams of how the boat could have been designed, and so far had come up short. The space available was just too limited to fit a mechanism complicated enough to allow precise turning. Celia looked at his drawings with a furrowed brow.

“I don’t think I know what all of this means,” she admitted.

Felix wasn’t surprised. Redstone engineering wasn’t either of their talents- he himself had only started to learn its intricacies about a month before news of the invasion first came in.

“You know, I’m not sure I do either. I’ll keep doing my best to decipher it.”

“Maybe the Usurpation just has a different kind of piston or something,” Blake said.

Celia nodded.

“Indeed! You’ve said yourself their technology is very different than ours. Once we return to the surface, we can tear through the planks to inspect it.”

“Wouldn’t that risk breaking something?”

“Well, if we’re not able to keep moving through the ice anyway, what’s the harm?”

Felix repressed a sigh and returned his attention to the book. Whether tense silence or their bickering was worse, he couldn’t say. All he knew was he would _never_ be able to get away with talking back to nobility the way Blake was. His new ally came from a place where such things as social classes seemingly didn’t exist, and before they’d even made it to Luxmouth the culture clash was rearing its ugly head.

It wasn’t as if he didn’t _understand_ Blake’s disagreement with Celia. She meant well, but was often too impulsive. Felix had for years felt a need to watch how he spoke to her- she was very proud, and one of the most hardheaded people he knew. The last thing he wanted was to incite an argument, especially given their social differences.

_“I have to remember my place. I can make suggestions, but the final choice is hers.”_

He recalled Celia’s eleventh birthday, and the last time things had been ‘normal’ between them. Felix was a year younger, as well as just a common citizen, yet she’d never had a problem with the disparity. For the longest time, they were simply two children- two friends. But after that day, things began to change.

_“That’s when my construction education began to intensify… and when she started having to learn more duties for her position. We saw less of each other for a while…”_

By the time their paths started to cross more frequently, the gap in their statuses had become clear to Felix. And now, seven years later, things remained different between them. She was still his friend, but she was the Countess- and that came first.

“Well _I_ still think we should try and turn back to sneak past the drowned,” Blake insisted, just in time for Felix to tune back in.

“We can run across the ice if needed!” Celia countered. “If we backtrack, it will take us longer to get to safety!”

“There’s not much point in taking the shorter option if it leads us right to the Usurpation _again_.”

Neither of them had raised their voice much, but their whispers were saturated with exasperation.

“Felix,” Blake said, “back me up here. You’ve just been sitting there-”

“What he’s suggesting will only waste our time,” Celia cut in. “You agree, yes?”

Sometimes he wished he’d been born as a simple farmer. _They_ never had to deal with things like this.

“I think there’s a way we can compromise between your ideas,” Felix said. “You’re right, Lady Celia, it would be best for us to take the more direct route rather than turn back.”

He looked to Blake.

“However, we don’t want to risk running into the Usurpation in the process. I think we could take a small detour northeast before continuing straight ahead. Before we got to the beach near your home, we passed by a village on a small island. It’s not too out of the way, and we might be able to get a few more supplies there.”

Celia’s face brightened.

“I remember that, it seemed like a charming little place.”

“How do you know we’re anywhere near it, though?” asked Blake.

Felix flipped his book to a blank page and drew a small circle on either end of it.

“Let’s say the left circle is the giant tree, and the right circle is Luxmouth. Lady Celia and I traveled west overseas, stopping semi-frequently on small islands to rest. The journey took about two weeks overall.”

He drew an arrow from right to left between the circles, then added a third one near the leftmost marker.

“Three days before we made it, we passed by that village I mentioned. We didn’t stop there, but I was sure to keep track of its location. Mind you, that was when we only had rowboats. The ship we stole traveled nearly twice as fast, and we’ve been following roughly the same trajectory for a day and a half.”

Blake’s eyes widened.

“So you’re saying we’re in just about the same place now that you were on the way here?”

“Right. And the Genesis Core following us earlier was going directly eastward, meaning we’ll be able to slip by undetected if we deviate to the north a little.”

Felix looked to Celia.

“If that’s okay with you.”

She only mulled it over for a second.

“It’s a wonderful plan! You’re a genius, Felix.”

“That’ll work,” Blake agreed, “as long as the ice has melted enough for the boat to get through.”

Getting to her feet, Celia stared at the dirt above them.

“There is only one way to find that out. Shall we resurface?”

Blake stood as well and gripped his shovel.

“I guess we’ve waited long enough. Stand back, you two. It’s about to flood in here.”

He dug a hole into the ceiling, and water filled the cave in seconds. Felix, pickaxe in hand, swam for the surface. Visibility in water wasn’t much of a problem for him- Luxmouth being a port city resulted in ample opportunity to visit the ocean- so he realized almost instantly that the path through the water they’d traversed had been extended.

Felix _also_ realized that the ship was nowhere to be seen.

_“Oh, no…”_

He clambered onto the ice, then helped his companions out of the water.

“The boat is gone…?” Celia asked, still trying to catch her breath.

“I should’ve known this would happen,” Blake grumbled.

The split in the ice continued eastward, until they could no longer see where it led. While there were no signs of the Usurpation nearby, the mid-afternoon sky was of greater concern. Blake was the first to speak up about it.

“We should get moving, boat or no boat. We’ll be out in the open once it gets dark.”

Celia was attempting to wring out her hair.

“I agree. Are we still heading toward the village?”

“Not much of a choice now,” said Blake. “It’s either that, or follow the guys who were chasing us. At least we know for sure which way _they_ were headed, so we can avoid ‘em.”

Felix nodded.

“Getting to any kind of land is our best bet. If our pursuer has a Genesis Core that controls ice, we don’t want to be stuck here.”

“Just a second.”

Blake was offering Celia a cooked- albeit cold- pork chop and some carrots. When she accepted them, he did the same for Felix.

“We’ll probably be doing a lot of running, so let’s try not to let ourselves go hungry. I just wish I had more time to figure out how best to ration these. Maybe I could eat mine _now,_ or take small bites throughout the hike…”

 _“He’s good at planning ahead,”_ Felix thought as he bit into a carrot, _“but he seems to second-guess himself or hesitate a lot. No wonder he’s butted heads with Lady Celia already.”_

Felix grimaced.

_“That’s going to cause more trouble for us, isn’t it? Oh boy…”_

Soon enough, they were on the move again.

* * *

Ray wasn’t sure which condition was the worst. His stomach clenched, demanding sustenance. His throat was dry and his breaths raspy from a lack of drinkable water. The sun had oppressively worn on him overhead, its heat making him dizzy. And after nearly two days of rowing, with minimal rest, his arms were numb. He forced himself not to think about the soreness he was in for.

His tracker no longer displayed the Bonemeal Core’s coordinates, but they hadn’t once deviated from a straight path to the east before he’d lost sight of them. If there was any consolation to how much distance the Inlanders had gained, it would be the presence of Lime and Crimson Squads’ shared outpost in that direction.

_“They’re going to run into Tara’s frozen sea sooner or later._

Ray fumbled for one of his few remaining bottles of water, taking the smallest drink he could from it. He then withdrew a book from his inventory, bound in a black leather cover. Its pages were covered in handwritten notes between him and other members of the Usurpation. A shining blue sigil of a hand would magically appear on the cover when two such books were near enough to one another, but that wasn’t the case at the moment. His last message was to agent Lime-6, who’d scouted ahead after landing and reported finding the Genesis Core in the woods, right before everything went downhill.

_“No messages from Tara, of course. Not that it matters; the Inlanders won’t evade her.”_

A sigh escaped him.

_“She’ll get all the credit for apprehending them, too.”_

He’d never be able to show his face to Commandant Green again- or most other people, for that matter. In the span of a morning, Ray had allowed a Genesis Core to slip through his fingers, been nearly overrun by zombies, lost his team’s transport, _and_ lost the team itself. Such an embarrassing display would at best yield him a demotion and a confiscated Grass Core. At worst…

 _“It doesn’t matter what happens to me,”_ he thought glumly. _“I deserve it for letting Lime Squad die. They were counting on my leadership, and…”_

Inexplicably, a chill ran down his spine for perhaps the tenth time that day. Ray looked over his shoulder, and as usual saw nothing behind him but the sea. Not even the great tree was visible anymore.

_“Is it just my imagination? Ever since I killed those big-nosed Inlanders, I’ve felt like someone’s watching me… but that’s absurd. There’s nobody here.”_

His stomach clenched again. Worried that he was beginning to experience delirium from hunger, he forced himself to row faster.

* * *

The sun had already begun to set by the time Celia could make out the shape of an island in the distance. All of the day’s discomforts- the panic as they fled their enemies, being drenched twice, having to hide for several hours in a cramped hole, and the strain of running across the ice- weighed on her, but she refused to let them dampen her spirits.

Not far behind her, Blake spoke up.

“Take a look at the ice. There are more and more holes the further we go this way, so we must be reaching the end of the frozen area.”

“And, by extension, the end of the Usurpation’s territory!” she added. “Felix, your idea worked like a charm.”

Her friend was bringing up the rear, and the running had clearly taken its toll. Felix’s breaths were heavy and his movements increasingly sluggish. He may not have been out of shape by any means, but he was no athlete.

_“Despite his exhaustion, he’s never complained. I wonder what keeps him going?”_

Celia was just as tired, but she had a responsibility to uphold. Having already been away from home for around two weeks, and with the prospect of a longer-than-expected return journey looming over her, she couldn’t _afford_ to slow down. Once the Genesis Core was safely in Luxmouth’s care, the efforts she’d gone through to acquire it would pay off.

_“Father must be worried sick for me… I do hope he understands my reasoning.”_

She wasn’t so naïve as to not expect a lecture upon returning. It was dangerous, what she’d done. The heir to the noble house of Lumis sneaking out of the city with no security and leaving behind only a note explaining her intentions to travel overseas was, of course, grossly irresponsible under normal circumstances.

_“But these times are far from normal. Nobody else could be spared to make the journey, and besides… it may be the last chance I have to-”_

Celia forced that thought down. This was no time to be selfish, not with the Usurpation hunting for her.

“That’s the last of my food,” Blake announced as he swallowed a bite of pork. “As in, _all_ of my food. I hope you two have extra rations. Damn, I knew I should’ve brought more…”

“How much did you have in the first place?” Celia asked.

“Enough to keep me going for a week. I didn’t expect the extra company while I was packing.”

As if on cue, her stomach growled. She’d eaten the last of her share midway across the ice.

“Ah… I believe we are also out of food.”

“That’s my fault,” said Felix. “When we were leaving Luxmouth, I must not have considered just how far we’d be traveling hard enough.”

Celia winced- she should have taken that into consideration as well.

“Maybe the villagers would be willing to sell us some of their crops,” she suggested. “Lodging for the night wouldn’t go amiss, either.”

“I hope they’re feeling generous,” Blake muttered.

Doing her best to ignore the dwindling morale, Celia led them across the last stretch of ice before they swam the rest of the short way to the beach. She never thought the feeling of sand underfoot would be such a relief. They hadn’t arrived a moment too soon, as the last rays of sunlight were beginning to fade over the horizon.

“Who’s there?”

A male, very nasal voice was calling out to them. The speaker was a villager, warily approaching with an iron hoe held in trembling hands. Celia gestured to the others to stay back; she could handle this.

“Apologies for the disturbance, sir. My companions and I were hoping your town could provide us with a place to stay for the night.”

He seemed to calm down as they approached.

“Eh? Oh, you aren’t Illagers. What’re you thinking, sneakin’ up on us in the dark?!”

“We’ve been on the move a lot today,” Blake said. “There’s not exactly a lot of places to camp out on the ice.”

The villager stared, frowning.

“You lot were on the frozen sea? Don’t suppose that was _your_ doing, was it?”

“Do we _look_ like we’re able to freeze over a whole-“

“What he’s trying to say,” Celia cut in, “is that we had no part in it. The perpetrators are, in fact, enemies of ours. Have you heard of the recent invasion from the north?”

Shifting his stance so the hoe was propped against his shoulder, the villager hummed thoughtfully.

“Enemies, you say. Someone like you came to town yesterday, spouting about gray people who’re tryin’ to take over the world. We all figured he meant the Illagers. Never heard of a human with gray skin, have you?”

Celia withheld a gasp.

“Y-yes, those would be said enemies. We’ve been attempting to escape them for a few days-“

“There’s another human like us here?” asked Blake.

She glanced at him with narrowed eyes.

“Excuse me, it’s rude to interrupt.”

“You interrupted _me_ just a second ago,” he replied, a noticeable edge in his tone.

“ _I_ am trying to handle the matters of diplomacy here!”

“But you haven’t even introduced us, Princess.”

The villager cleared his throat, now looking exasperated.

“Are you kids gonna keep arguing? I’m not standing out here all night.”

Celia turned back to him and apologetically bowed her head. Despite the interruption, she _was_ interested in the same thing as Blake.

“Yes, forgive me. We don’t wish to waste your time. Do you think you could point us in the direction of this human, if he is still here?”

The villager paused, then shrugged after a moment’s consideration.

“Sure, he’s staying in the church. Big cobblestone building on the outskirts of town, you can’t miss it. There should even be a few beds for you to stay the night. Just don’t cause any trouble, will you?”

She nodded, smiling.

“I swear we will not. Thank you so much!”

With that, the villager turned and shuffled off up the beach. Celia looked to Felix and Blake, not making eye contact with the latter.

“Perhaps an ally of Luxmouth is here. If he opposes the Usurpation, then he may have more information on them.”

“It’s worth a shot,” said Felix. “Let’s hear him out.”

Blake said nothing, but Celia could feel his gaze on the back of her head as she led them into the village proper.

_“Why does he have to be so difficult…?”_

* * *

Tara was dangerously close to becoming annoyed.

Her team’s search of the frozen sea had yielded no results, and upon further consideration they had agreed there was no way the three Inlanders would be able to outrun Lime Squad’s redstone troop carrier on foot. Crimson Squad was now riding the ship westward back toward their outpost, having abandoned their search to the east. Their targets, essentially, had escaped and taken their knowledge of Lime Squad’s fate with them. Whether or not they had stolen the light Grass Core was also indeterminate.

_“I refuse to believe Ray would have been THAT much of a failure. Until we apprehend the thieves, however, I have no way to know for certain. He took the tracking map with him.”_

She frowned. Why hadn’t her superiors in the Expansion Division or Ray’s in the Industrial Division thought to provide _each_ team with a map?

“Lady Tara,” one trooper announced, “Crimsons 2 through 9 are still at the tower, closer to Lime Squad’s last known position. Is a search party in order?”

“Not until our own carrier’s repairs are complete,” she said. “It seems the tridents those undead wielded caused more damage to our engines than expected while we were establishing our outpost.”

Tara didn’t like to recall that little oversight on her part. Apparently, underestimating the watery undead was a distinct possibility. Still… at least her team’s ship hadn’t been _stolen._ She wouldn’t share in Ray’s incompetence.

_“Either the Inlanders submitted themselves to a watery grave beneath my ice, or…”_

She recalled Crimson Squad’s voyage to that region. The ocean was vast, and there were precious few areas of solid ground amidst the sea. Only one came to mind: a small island their vessels had spotted in the distance several days prior. Even from afar, she’d made out the silhouettes of buildings. A village of the large-nosed Inlanders, no doubt.

“Divert our course northward,” she announced. “We are going to inspect the island we initially bypassed.”

“Diverting,” Crimson-17, standing at the controls, replied.

Crimson-14 peered into the distance as the ship turned.

“Meaning no disrespect, Lady Tara, but what makes you think the escapees are headed that way?”

She stared ahead with him, her eyes firm.

“If the Inlanders did not drown, but kept running straight ahead, they would have begun to starve before long. Assuming they yet live, their only place to rest would be in that village.”

Tara split a path in the ice to the north, fully prepared to rectify her previous mistake- as well as Ray’s presumably embarrassing failure.


	9. Questionable Camaraderie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new ally agrees to help the trio, but Blake and Celia's disagreements boil over, with Felix attempting to help them understand one another. Before any progress toward that end can be made, however, the group loses their head start over their pursuers.

**Chapter 9: Questionable Camaraderie**

Blake brought up the rear as he and his allies wandered through the village. It was well past sunset, but the area appeared well-lit enough to discourage any mobs from approaching. In fact, the town was so at ease that several villagers remained outside in the dark, leisurely chatting with one another or strolling in the gentle moonlight.

For a moment, his gut clenched. The last time he’d seen anything like this was over a year ago, and the reminder of just how _lonely_ he’d been weighed on him.

_“I remember when the last of the villagers were moving out. They looked at me like I was crazy for wanting to stay behind; humans are supposed to be the adventurous, boundary-pushing ones. I guess I WAS crazy- or just desperate to avoid change, really.”_

His heart sank. Those first few days as the last person in town were awful to reflect on, but Blake wouldn’t ever forget how forcefully motivated he’d acted. He had bustled around in a fervor and performed repairs on the steadily crumbling buildings. At the time he told himself it was for the sake of making them presentable for whenever his friends would come back to visit. Now, he realized it had just been to keep himself busy- had Blake not done so, he might have lost his mind.

They’d reached the middle of town, where even more residents had gathered around the well to talk. He overheard some of the topics: renovations to be done, crops to be planted, idle chatter about how their relatives were doing, and the like. The conversations were simple, but such small, personal matters were endearing to Blake after such a long time alone.

_“Look at me, getting all mushy over just watching some people chat. I might’ve lost my mind ANYWAY if I hadn’t found Alice’s letter.”_

Where was she? Where were any of his old friends, or the villagers they’d lived with? Those two questions had never left his head, not even when he’d been investigating the giant tree or encountering the Usurpation for the first time. Thinking of them again brought another thing to mind: he had set out on his journey to find a place in the world for himself, but how would he know when he found it?

 _“I’m not out here to look for_ them, _right? That’d go against the point of it all…”_

Still. He didn’t know if he liked the sound of sticking with a stubborn princess for longer than he had to.

“Oh! Excuse me.”

Speaking of Celia, she’d stopped short ahead of him and Felix as an enormous metal figure lumbered past. The iron golem caused a light tremor in the ground with each footstep. Although it didn’t stop them, the titan did look briefly at each member of the group before continuing its patrol. Its bulky arms had noticeable stains from zombie blood; clearly it had already seen some action on the town’s border that night.

Blake was glad once it looked away. Iron golems were excellent defenders against mobs, but their hulking physique and constant supervision were intimidating. Not to mention, he’d always found their blank, mechanical eyes a little creepy.

_“I don’t care how well they get along with villagers, those things weird me out.”_

“Isn’t this place nice?” Celia asked, smiling after the golem. “It’s very relaxed here.”

“It _does_ have a very different atmosphere than back home. There are no guards other than the golem, or any walls around the perimeter. Even the outer districts of Luxmouth have the local militia, but here there’s barely any defense.” Felix replied.

Blake raised a brow.

“Have you guys ever been in a normal village?”

Celia turned to him, her mouth open to reply, but hesitated.

“Ah… n-no, not exactly. Our city is much larger- its population is nearly 1500. As such, the layout and infrastructure are more complicated by necessity.”

A moment’s contemplation later, she spoke again.

“That’s right, didn’t you mention you lived in a village? Was it similar to this place?”

Blake cast his gaze around again, taking in the simple wood and cobblestone houses. He saw a farm next to one, its hoed soil full of wheat and carrots ready to be harvested come the next morning. Memories of setting up his own farm with his friends, and the excitement of baking their first cake with the wheat they’d grown, came to mind.

“For the most part, yeah. I lived with four other humans, and everyone else in town was a villager. There wasn’t exactly an authority figure, we all just helped each other out. Things weren’t always easy, but the village always came together when it mattered.”

“A smaller population _would_ lead to closer bonds between one another,” Celia remarked. “I quite like the sound of- oh, we’re here.”

The church was certainly a cobblestone building, but Blake wasn’t sure if he’d call it “big” like the farmer had. Only standing a bit taller than the houses, and rather out of the way on the village outskirts, the structure could have easily been overlooked by passersby. Moss crept up the sides of the building, and some stone blocks sported notable chips and cracks.

“They haven’t put much effort into keeping this thing standing,” he muttered. “It’s no wonder the visitor was allowed to stay here; nobody uses the place.”

Blake wondered if there were any spare beds. Put simply, he was _beat_ from the day’s harrowing encounter. Celia approached and rapped her knuckle against the door, then stood back.

Her knock was answered by a boy slightly older than Blake with skin darker than Felix’s, but not nearly as dark as his own. Despite the poor visibility, his wide, emerald eyes stood out as he peered at them from behind the door. Three drenched teenagers were evidently not what he’d anticipated.

“Uh, hi,” he said. “Can I help you?”

“The locals say you’re talking about gray people,” Blake replied, “and we don’t think you mean Illagers.”

To his surprise, the boy tensed up. Celia spoke almost immediately after him.

“We don’t mean to startle you. If it’s the Usurpation you speak of, we’re no friends of theirs. Quite the opposite; we hope to resist their advance however we can.”

She seemed to put him more at ease, and he opened the door a bit further.

_“Maybe I said that the wrong way…? Damn. Talking to people again is hard.”_

“You guys know about them, too?” he asked.

Celia nodded, gesturing to Blake.

“We’ve been avoiding them for two days now. My companion here has something they are looking for, and if you are also concerned about the invasion then perhaps we could cooperate in keeping it out of their hands?”

The boy’s eyes widened even further.

“You don’t mean you have a-“

His gaze darted around behind them, and he opened the door fully to reveal he was wearing nearly a full set of iron armor. In his hand, he lightly grasped a sword with a gleaming blue blade.

 _“Diamond? This guy must mean business,”_ Blake thought.

“Come inside, quickly. We’ve got a lot to talk about.”

* * *

The moon had just begun to rise when Tara noticed the blue sigil on her black book’s cover was steadily pulsing. She raised a brow; the specific pattern suggested the message was from another Knight’s book.

”Stop,” she said aloud. Clearing the ice ahead of them required too much focus to risk doing it while reading, and- though she would never let anyone know it- the sudden alert had elicited some curiosity.

A moment later, the carrier slowed to a crawl. Tara flipped the book to a page mostly empty, save for one line in familiar handwriting. The sender was identified as “Industrial Division, Lime Squad Leader.”

**[Tara. This is Ray. Respond fast; important info.]**

She narrowed her eyes as she wrote her reply.

_[That is not proper protocol, Sir Ray.]_

**[Tired. Hungry. Thirsty. Had to row a boat back to our outpost for two days.]**

Tara blinked. Upon closer inspection, his writing seemed shaky as it appeared on the page under her message.

_[What happened? A group of Inlanders was seen in Lime Squad’s carrier.]_

**[Squad all dead. Killed by zombies.]**

She resisted the urge to scowl. Were there any limits to his incompetence?

**[An Inlander found the dark Bonemeal Core before I could retrieve it. Two others assisted him. Zombies attacked, Inlanders escaped in confusion.]**

Her grip on the quill tightened, before she forced herself to settle down. This was _not_ going to elicit a reaction from her, no matter how exasperating Ray’s failure was.

_[It would seem they stole your carrier in their flight, but they abandoned it before long. We are searching for them in the vessel now. Which of them has the Genesis Core?]_

**[Dark brown skin. Dark brown hair. Red-violet jacket. Dark Bonemeal Core is bound to him already.]**

So she would have to kill a human Inlander. This was a first. Even so, it would be a trivial matter to Tara. They would all have to fall in line or die, sooner or later…

_[What of the others?]_

**[One boy. Teenage, brown leather chestplate and helmet, yellow hair. One girl, teenage, white clothes, red hair. Girl calls herself daughter of the Duke of Luxmouth.]**

_That_ changed the situation. She didn’t know much about the Ever-Glowing City, but she knew of the light Bonemeal Core supposedly housed within. The outer territories the Expansion Division had overtaken spoke highly of the city itself, and not without cause- Luxmouth was too well-defended for even the Usurpation to risk a full assault against.

_“For now…”_

_[Duly noted. She will make for a most lucrative hostage. Where are you?]_

**[With the rest of Crimson Squad. Repairs on your carrier are complete and we will leave to join you shortly. There’s nothing left for us here now that the Genesis Core is gone.]**

_[We are altering our course. Our destination is the island village we passed on our way here. I believe that is the only place the Inlanders could have fled to. Recover your strength before you arrive- I will not accept failure due to your pitiful state.]_

**[I was planning to. Sir Ray out.]**

Tara snapped the book shut and stored it in her inventory.

“There has been a change of plans. We are to kill the dark-skinned Inlander and take the red-haired one as a hostage.”

“What’s their significance, Lady Tara?” Crimson-14 asked.

She began to clear the ice again as the carrier started moving.

“The latter is our key to eliciting a surrender from Luxmouth. The former has the dark Bonemeal Core.”

Now was her time to shine.

* * *

Celia entered first after the man, taking in as much of her surroundings with a single glance as she could. This _was_ the first time she’d ever been in a church this small, after all. It, like the rest of the town, struck her as very serene and homely. Though the structure was just cobblestone with minimal furnishings, she quite liked the simplicity.

“I thought the closest I’d ever get to a Genesis Core would be when some Usurpation boss did me in,” the group’s host said. “But you say you’ve got one?”

“I do,” answered Blake, entering last. “It’s bound to me, and it lets me grow things.”

“A Bonemeal Core, then.”

Celia took a seat at a small oak desk at the man’s offer. Felix stood behind her, and they watched as he set a dirt block on the floor.

“Mind if you show me how it works?”

Blake, though seeming a bit alarmed to be put on the spot, stared at the block and held a hand toward it. Celia felt her pulse quicken as his outstretched palm twitched, after which the dirt block spontaneously developed a layer of grass on the surface. Another twitch, and tall blades sprouted two blocks high. The man whistled.

“I guess it’s the real deal. I won’t lie, I’m all sorts of amazed right now. Think of the possibilities! With that kind of power, food shortages could be a thing of the past!”

Celia grinned. It was for that very reason Luxmouth had so carefully protected the other Bonemeal Core ever since its discovery. Then again, as Blake had demonstrated two days prior, its uses also extended to combat in certain capacities.

_“Yet we still know little about them. Where did they come from, and what other secrets do they hide?”_

“Whoops, I guess I was so excited my manners escaped me,” the man chuckled, running a hand through his shoulder-length, dark brown hair. “Everyone calls me Ember, who are you guys?”

“I am Celia of House Lumis. My companions are Felix, an old friend, and Blake, who is accompanying us back to the city of Luxmouth,” she said, gesturing to them in turn.

Ember stared at her, his brow furrowed.

“House Lumis…? Wait, are you the missing girl?”

She winced.

“Er… is that what I’m known as?”

“I hear the whole city’s on edge. Someone as important as you just vanishing, and only leaving a note behind… well, that obviously wouldn’t sit well with a lot of people.”

Celia thought she saw Felix pinch the bridge of his nose.

“For what it’s worth,” Ember continued, “you must have a pretty strong spirit and sense of adventure. You’d fit in well with _my_ crew. But you’ve got your own responsibilities, and all that.”

“Your ‘crew?’” Blake asked.

Ember flashed him a grin.

“Yeah. A bunch more of us humans have banded together, resisting the Usurpation wherever we can from the shadows.”

He chuckled, scratching his head.

“Well, we’re still a pretty small group. _I’m_ here because our scouts spotted them heading in this direction, and someone had to investigate. I guess you three have confirmed what they were interested in for us, so... thanks for that.”

As many questions as Celia had about this so-called crew, of which she’d never heard, she knew there were more pressing matters to discuss first.

“If my absence has truly caused such unrest, it’s all the more important for me to make it home soon,” she said. “However, we find ourselves in a bit of a predicament. We have no transportation, and our food has run out.”

Celia gestured to herself, Blake, and Felix again. Their clothing had only just begun to dry.

“As you can see, we are also exhausted and drenched from evading the Usurpation today. Would you be willing to let us stay the night, and continue our journey come sunrise? We’re in no shape to travel on foot.”

Ember’s smile brightened.

“I can do you one better. I’ll contact my buddies and see if they can help us get through the Nether; it’d be way faster than walking.”

“You operate out of _there?_ ” asked Felix, his mouth agape.

“Sure do. It’s a rough job, but it keeps us under the Usurpation’s radar.”

Ember sheathed his diamond blade and pointed to a chest and a crafting table in the corner of the room.

“There should be some spare wool in there. Feel free to craft a few beds and get some rest. Blake, I’ve also got wheat seeds and carrots. That ought to take care of your food problem, if you get my meaning.”

Celia stood and curtseyed to him.

“I can’t thank you enough. I promise, Luxmouth will repay you for your help.”

“Don’t get hasty,” Ember chuckled, “we aren’t in the clear yet. Get some sleep and stock up on food; I’ll be downstairs if anyone needs me.”

Drawing a pickaxe from his inventory, he broke apart an inconspicuous cobblestone block to reveal a hidden ladder leading under the floor. Ember offered one last wave before descending.

“This is fantastic!” Celia chirped, looking to Felix.

“I’ll admit, I can’t believe how quickly our luck turned around,” he replied.

Blake had his arms folded. When he spoke, he was as quiet as he seemed capable of being.

“I don’t know… what if he’s _with_ the Usurpation and is passing on info to them somehow? You could’ve just led even more of ‘em right to us by saying who you are.”

Celia rounded on him. She was _much_ too tired to hear any of his second-guessing.

“How do you expect us to get anywhere if you insist on doubting _every_ decision we make?”

Though Blake had bags under his pale brown eyes, his expression was firm as he glared at her.

“It wouldn’t be the first time one of your snap decisions got us in trouble. You’re just gonna trust some guy who happens to be in the area while we’re running from the Usurpation, and who wants us to just settle in as he calls his ‘crew’ from the _Nether_ for backup?”

“Don’t be absurd!” she hissed. “Do you plan to suspect everyone we meet? Might any of _them_ also be Usurpation agents in disguise?”

Blake’s fists were clenched.

“If you wouldn’t blab about what a big shot you are to everybody, I wouldn’t HAVE to worry that much. You even told _Ray_ how important you are! Did you never once think that might’ve been a stupid idea?”

Celia paused.

“A… a mistake on my part, yes. Even so, our odds of making it to Luxmouth with just the three of us are slim. We have to find allies wherever we can, don’t you understand that? Ember is willing to help us, and has shown _no_ signs of being affiliated with the Usurpation. What more will it take to convince you?!”

Neither of them spoke again, as if silently daring the other to continue.

“Speaking of help,” Felix said softly, “I’ve got the beds ready.”

He was at the crafting table, facing away from them with a hunched, tense posture.

“Blake, here are the seeds and carrots. Can you do your thing to make some food?”

Celia didn’t say a word as Blake stepped past to take the items from Felix. He barely acknowledged her on his way out of the church. It was only after the door shut behind him that she realized her heart was pounding.

“I… I’m sorry, Felix,” she muttered. “I didn’t mean to lose my temper.”

He set the beds on the floor around the crafting table. There was barely enough space to fit all three of them.

“Don’t worry about me,” he said in a tone so flat as to be unnerving.

Celia didn’t feel any better, and a pit formed in her stomach. Was it because of how emotionless he sounded? Had she startled him? Or…

“Felix, please be honest with me. Have… have I been as impulsive as Blake accused? If I’ve caused us trouble, I want to rectify it.”

Although she couldn’t quite identify his expression when he turned to her, it was clear he was stewing over something in his head.

“Please,” she repeated. “Tell the truth. Nothing you say will offend me, I promise.”

“I think…” Felix hesitantly began, “it’d be better if you could compromise more with each other.”

Celia bit her tongue, fighting the impulse to reply in her defense. Now was the time to listen, she told herself.

“You’re right, we do need help escaping the Usurpation,” he continued. “And Ember hasn’t shown any signs that he’s with them, either. But… as long as we’re out in the open without much backup, it might not be the best idea to tell everyone who we are. It’s for your own safety, Lady Celia.”

He headed toward the door, only stopping for a moment to say one last thing.

“I’ll go see if he could use a hand. Please try to get some rest.”

Then he was gone, leaving her with a hundred conflicting thoughts.

* * *

Blake shut the door behind him, taking a deep breath of the nighttime air. Celia was probably complaining about his “attitude” to Felix at that very moment, but he didn’t care. Right then, all he wanted to focus on was replenishing their food and forgetting about the argument.

He looked at the seeds and the bundle of carrots Ember had provided, after which a problem occurred to him.

_“I don’t have a hoe to till the soil for these. Maybe…”_

Trying not to look conspicuous, Blake made his way back to the farm. There were no lights from the neighboring house’s windows, and nobody was outside keeping watch on the property. It seemed even the villagers who had stayed up past dark were finally turning in for the night, leaving him alone apart from the patrolling iron golem.

He noticed a chest beside the farm. A cursory glance within revealed it to be empty sans a few wheat bundles and a single beetroot. He was no expert in growing crops, but even he could tell the harvest wouldn’t be ready for a while.

“Hm…”

Blake concentrated on the nearest plant, a cluster of seeds which had barely begun to sprout. A second later, they had changed into a tall bunch of thin, golden stalks. Smiling, he repeated the process until the whole farm was fully grown. He worked quickly to collect and replant the crops, storing his harvest in the chest. Using the Bonemeal Core’s power, he repeated the process thrice. By the end, the chest was almost half full and the farm was ready for yet another harvest come the morning.

“What’re you doing?”

The voice made him jolt and turn around so fast he nearly lost his balance.

“Sorry, I just wanted to help-“

He composed himself a little when he realized the speaker was Felix, who gave him an odd look.

“Are you okay?”

“Uh… yeah, I’m fine,” Blake said, exhaling the breath he’d sucked in. “I came out here to plant the stuff Ember gave us, since we don’t have a hoe. When I saw how empty the farm was, I…”

He shrugged.

“I just wanted to do something for them.”

Felix nodded, inspecting his handiwork.

“Very thoughtful of you.”

“Hey, it’s not like it was some huge inconvenience. It’d just be rude of me not to help their farm along a _little_ when I have the power to do it.”

Blake harvested, replanted, and grew the crops one last time. He now had a good selection of wheat, carrots, beetroots, and even sugarcane to work with.

“That should keep us going for a while. I’m all set here.”

He turned to head back to the church, but something stopped him. An uncomfortable feeling twisted around in his gut at the thought of having to see Celia again.

_“Is it just because I’m mad at her, or…?”_

“Felix. Uh… how do I put this? I’m sorry you had to hear all that before.”

His companion raised a brow.

“You say that as if I had to listen to my parents arguing. You and Lady Celia aren’t _that_ much older than me.”

Blake chuckled.

“I get that. It’s just… you’ve known each other a lot longer than you’ve known me. And I understand I’m out of my element with all this nobility stuff.”

He paused. Now he was beginning to grasp why he was feeling so conflicted.

“Not to mention it’s been a while since I really… _talked_ to anyone. I-“

“Hold on,” Felix cut in. “I think, whatever you’re about to say, it might be best if you hold off for now, and say it to Lady Celia tomorrow. It could help you two understand each other a little better.”

An awkward silence fell between them. After a few seconds, Blake cleared his throat.

“You… really think so?”

Felix nodded, beckoning for Blake to follow him back to the church.

“I do. I won’t lie, it’s a little exasperating listening to you two argue without actually being productive. I think, if you would just be more patient with each other, it would benefit us in the long run.”

“You’re a smart guy,” he replied, “and you’ve usually been the one to solve whatever problem we’re in.”

For a second, he worried he might have come across as sarcastic. Felix, however, didn’t appear offended. On the contrary, he grinned.

“The only plans that were ‘mine’ were the ones involving crafting knowledge, like that trick with the doors underwater. You and Lady Celia both had your own ideas of how to keep going after we found out the boat was gone; I just found the compromise between them. I think you two can do the same thing.”

He mulled it over. Was _that_ what had happened? It seemed for all the world like Felix had just stepped in with a solution where he and Celia were too busy butting heads.

“That wasn’t all I was gonna say, though,” Blake continued. “Why do you never speak up for _yourself?_ It’s always for her sake. Even when you clearly have something in mind, you don’t say anything against her.”

The pair had reached the church again by that point. Felix put a hand on the door, only muttering two words with a sigh before pushing it open.

“Nobility stuff.”

Celia was already in a bed, facing the wall. Blake heard the faint sounds of Ember tinkering below them, and as curious as he might have been what his host was doing, his exhaustion was winning out. While Felix carefully took off his armor pieces and sorted through his inventory, Blake flopped onto another bed and let sleep claim him.

* * *

“Get up! Get UP!!”

The violent shake against Blake’s shoulder jolted him awake like lightning had struck at his feet. He scrambled to draw his stone sword, jumping out of bed.

“What’s going on?!”

Ember was rushing to awaken Celia as well. Felix, already up, was hurriedly donning his leather chestplate.

“There’s a big problem outside,” Ember said.

Blake, already fearing the worst, glanced out a window beside the door. What he saw in the early morning light was the villagers being steadily rounded up near the center of town, herded by a group of people in tattered black cloaks, with matching bandanas over their mouths. They were all wearing gloves save for one, above whose gray-skinned hand a small block of ice twirled effortlessly in midair.

The Usurpation had caught up to them.


	10. Changing Plans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blake and Celia's arguing causes their escape attempt to take a turn for the worst. As the Usurpation forces close in, they must adapt and find a way out of their predicament while working together.

**Chapter 10: Changing Plans**

Felix, clutching his leather helmet to his chest, looked between the window and his allies.

 _“There’s a lot of them out there. And I’d guess that one with the ice block is responsible for the frozen ocean,”_ he thought.

Ember placed cobblestone blocks in front of the door and the windows. Not much of a barricade, Felix knew, but at least they wouldn’t be seen from outside.

_“But I doubt it’ll stop the Usurpation from wanting to take a look over here. And if the villagers tell them about us…”_

“Everyone, follow me downstairs,” Ember said aloud. “Our way outta here will be ready soon.”

He exposed the hidden ladder and descended under the floor. Celia went after him first, then Blake. Felix entered last, covering the hole on his way. As he climbed down, a spine-chilling noise echoed around him. Long and droning yet airy like a whisper, the sound filled him with a silent dread.

The crevice they found themselves in at the bottom was even more cramped than their hiding spot under the seafloor. Most of the space was taken up by a rectangular structure five blocks tall, made of black, smooth rocks. Though the center was hollow, it wasn’t _empty_ ; a purple mass swirled lazily, through which the eerie sound emanated.

“I’ve never seen a Nether portal in person…” Celia murmured. Felix saw her eyes trembling at the sight, yet she didn’t seem capable of looking away either.

“You guys haven’t ever been there before?” Ember asked, looking through another chest beside the obsidian ring.

“I have,” said Blake. “That was a long time ago, though. I wasn’t a fan of the zombie pig-people constantly watching me, so I never went back that much.”

Felix raised a hand.

“I’ve been there too, to collect materials. But I don’t see how entering this portal is going to do more than temporarily get us out of the Usurpation’s sight; it’s dangerous in there.”

Ember shut the chest and returned it to his inventory, turning to them.

“You don’t know how it- actually, never mind. I can explain what we’re doing on the way. For now, you’ll just have to put these on.”

He held out three pairs of boots covered in gold plate armor. For himself, he donned a golden helmet.

“What’re these for?” Blake asked.

“I told you, we can talk about that on the way. Hurry up!”

Felix blinked. The significance of golden armor in the Nether was practically common sense for anyone even a little interested in adventuring; yet Blake wasn’t aware?

_“Even Lady Celia knows that. Maybe he just never stayed long enough to encounter the LIVING locals...”_

Abandoning that train of thought for the moment, Felix put on a pair of the boots. They weren’t comfortable, but they would suffice.

“Everyone’s ready,” Ember said, “so follow me. We’ll be able to meet some backup inside; they’re on their way to get us.”

As he turned to enter the portal, however, Celia spoke up.

“Hold for a moment. Wait…”

All eyes were on her. Felix could see a familiar conflicted look on her face.

“Is there a problem?” asked Ember, now beginning to sound impatient.

“We can’t go,” she said. “What about the villagers?”

Felix winced, anticipating the imminent argument.

“What about _us?_ ” Ember practically shouted. “If we stick around, we’re dead!”

“I cannot just leave them to the mercy of the Usurpation!”

“Actually?” Blake cut in. “I’m with her. I’d never forgive myself if the villagers got killed while I got away.”

He withheld a gasp. Ember’s jaw, meanwhile, visibly tightened.

“You can’t be serious. If you _don’t_ get away, you’ll die and the goons out there will have another Genesis Core in their pockets. Do you actually think you can take ‘em on?”

Felix rubbed his chin.

“Maybe we don’t have to,” he said. “If we could just lead the Usurpation away from the town, the villagers will be safe. Then we can work our way back to you under their noses and escape.”

Blake and Celia briefly stole a glance at one another, and Felix could see a flicker of appreciation on both their faces. Despite how dire the situation was, it made him feel a bit better that they were cooperating.

“I hate to tell you, but they’re gonna enslave everyone here,” Ember said. His voice had lowered with some effort, like he was trying to resist shouting again. “The Usurpation doesn’t leave people alone even if they don’t have what they want, I’ve seen them sweep over too many towns not to know that. Our best bet is to just escape while we can.”

Celia looked at the ladder again.

“I understand your concerns. I’m also concerned. But our enemies have come here because of _us,_ and we have to do what we can to make things right.”

“You can go to meet your people in the Nether,” Felix said, “and help the villagers escape while we lead the Usurpation on a chase. We don’t think they have a Genesis Core tracker, so we’ll find a good place to hide until they pass. By the time they realize what happened, we can be back here and make our getaway.”

Ember looked between the three of them, his mouth flapping.

“You’re… you’re all crazy-“

Composing himself, he gave a deep sigh.

“Ugh… fine, I’ll get to work on that. You’d better not get yourselves killed in the meantime, okay? Good luck.”

With that, he leaped through the purple miasma and was gone.

“Let’s get back to the surface,” Blake said, already starting up the ladder. “We’ll want a good head start before they start chasing us.”

“Right behind you!” Celia chirped. “We’ve evaded the Usurpation before, and we’ll do it again.”

As he climbed after them, Felix couldn’t resist smiling just a little.

* * *

Blake listened closely at the top of the ladder, right under the church’s cobblestone floor. Once he felt confident nobody was shuffling inside the building, he broke through the stone covering the ladder with his wooden pickaxe. Unfortunately, he would get no more use out of the tool, as a moment afterwards its head snapped off.

The three emerged from the ladder shaft and covered the hole behind them.

“Uh…” Blake murmured. “Crap. I just noticed a problem with our plan. It’s not a very big island, so where are we gonna lead the Usurpation?”

“There’s another one nearby,” said Felix. “It’d require wading through the shallows, but we can make it if we hurry. There’s even a small forest where we could lose them.”

Blake mulled it over, then equipped his shovel. It was damaged, but would hopefully last just long enough for one more impromptu cave.

“Once we’re there, we can wait underground while they pass us by. Let’s just hope they haven’t figured out that trick after the first time.”

Felix, suddenly looking troubled, removed his leather armor and presented the pieces to his friend.

“Lady Celia, please wear these for now. I’ll feel more comfortable if you have the extra protection.”

Although she gave him an uncertain look, she donned the gear regardless.

“Nothing for me?” Blake quipped.

“You’ve already got new golden boots. Do you also want mine?” replied Felix with a brief grin. “I don’t think you can put on two pairs.”

“Maybe I’ll wear them on my hands.”

Celia laughed, adjusting the helmet.

“Not that I don’t enjoy innovative ideas of fashion, but we should be going now. I _would_ love to hear your ideas in more detail some other time, Blake.”

“Let’s make sure we don’t die first, okay?” he said.

With their joking over, Felix broke out a bit of the back wall with his pickaxe and took a deep breath.

“Well, here goes nothing. Let’s move.”

The three crept out from the church, keeping it between them and the Usurpation’s line of sight as much as possible on their way out of town. Blake took the lead, and as he walked a flurry of questions rattled off in his head.

_“These ones don’t know I’ve got the Bonemeal Core, right? Or that Celia’s important? What if they DO catch up to us? Are we gonna be kept prisoner? Enslaved like Ember said? Or…”_

He gulped. Maybe considering every possible option wasn’t the best idea at present.

It didn’t take long for them to reach the shore opposite where they arrived. Like Felix had claimed, another island was visible beyond a stretch of shallow water, just a few chunks away.

“Their leader appeared to control ice,” Celia mused, “so we should only get their attention once we are nearly across. The last thing we want is to engage her amidst all this water.”

Blake could make out the edge of the aforementioned forest on the island, and a satisfied warmth spread through him at the sight- the terrain would be in _his_ favor this time.

“I’m sure I can do something to help us in the woods. Maybe I’ll grow a bunch of trees like a barricade, or have the grass grow tall enough that we can hide in it.”

They had begun to trek across the shallows, and every sloshing footstep they took made Blake cringe at the thought of the Usurpation hearing them, even from such a distance. He cringed _more,_ however, at Celia’s sudden exclamation behind him.

“Absolutely not. If you reveal your possession of a Genesis Core, your death will be their top priority!”

“And if I _don’t_ use its power,” he replied, “you could get captured. Or worse. For all we know, they’ll just kill us all anyway!”

“Keep your voice down!” Celia whispered, her _own_ voice more hissing than hushed. “If they hear us too soon, we may have no choice but to find out their intentions firsthand!”

Blake’s eyes narrowed.

“ _You’re_ the one who had to cut in first. I had a plan in the works, and then you just had to-“

“HEY!”

Any annoyance he felt evaporated, and based on Celia’s stark-white face the shrill, raspy yell had a similar effect on her. With his heart rate seemingly dead in its tracks, Blake turned back toward the village to see a black-cloaked person pointing to them from the shore.

“RUNNERS!” he shrieked again, beckoning for the rest of the Usurpation squad to join him.

“They’ll be on us in seconds!” Blake yelped, abandoning all attempts at stealth and galloping as fast as he could through the water.

“Too soon! It’s too soon!” Celia cried.

They closed the distance in a frantic dash, scrambling onto the shores of the forested island. Somewhere behind them, a loud crackling noise emanated and a chill spread through the air.

_“Okay, we’re at least out of the water now. Once we’re deeper into the woods, I can dig us a hole and we’ll be out of sight.”_

“NO!”

This time, the shriek came from Celia. Blake looked over his shoulder to find she’d stopped running right at the forest’s edge, both hands over her mouth. His already shaky confidence bottomed out in one fell swoop at the sight of Felix still in the middle of the shallows, frozen up to his chest with just one arm and his head free. Behind him, a long trail of ice led back to the village beach, and at its origin stood a nigh motionless Usurper, her gaze locked directly onto him.

The cloaked lackeys ran across the ice toward Felix, who Blake noted wasn’t visibly struggling to escape. Rather, he had his eyes on him and Celia, and with his free hand he made a repeated gesture toward the woods.

“He wants us to keep going,” he whispered.

“No! We are _not-!_ ”

Ignoring Celia’s protest, Blake grabbed her arm and half-dragged her with him into the trees.

* * *

_“Be safe, you two. Just get away from here.”_

Felix didn’t even have time to try and break the ice before he found himself flanked by the black-garbed Usurpers. There were thirteen in total, all wearing similar tattered cloaks. Now that he was close enough, he realized the disheveled uniforms were in fact worn over thin-looking armored chestplates, made of a strange, dull red material.

_“It doesn’t look like dyed leather, and it’s definitely not diamond or Netherite. But it’s also not like any metal I’ve ever seen…”_

A few of them could be heard chuckling beneath their bandanas as the group’s leader stepped in front of him. Despite the frost coating her hands, she showed no signs of discomfort. The woman’s age was hard to guess, but she stood nearly a head taller than Felix. Her long, black hair was tied in a ponytail, leaving nothing to hide her face but her own bandana.

As she looked him over, he wished he _couldn’t_ have met her gaze directly. Calling her eyes “soulless” didn’t do them justice; it looked more like a pair of off-white voids had sunken into her light gray face. Bizarre as it was, Felix almost missed Ray’s open hostility. This Usurper showed no visible expression whatsoever, yet somehow came across ten times as unsettling.

“Lady Tara, should we pursue the others?” one of the grunts asked.

After another moment of silently staring through him, the leader spoke.

“Troopers Crimson-17, 18, 19, and 20, search for them. Troopers Crimson-9 and 10 will remain with me. The rest of you, secure a perimeter around the village.”

Her voice might have sounded about as emotional as a zombie’s, except they at least had the excuse of being undead. At her monotonous command, four of the group drew curved iron blades and waded off after Celia and Blake. Six others walked past Felix, while the last two stood on either side of him.

“You’ve led us on quite the chase, Inlander,” Tara continued. “And I hear you gave Sir Ray more trouble than he was apparently able to deal with.”

“Why do all of you call us that?” he asked.

“Inlander? It’s what you are. You live here, in the relative peace of this realm. This world is sheltering and nurturing, not chaotic and desolate like our home.”

Felix paused. If he could get her talking, his friends might have gained more time to escape her clutches.

“Where _are_ you from? You just… showed up one day, with an army-“

The ice blocks encasing most of his body shifted, trapping him in an even tighter space.

“I am under no obligation to answer _your_ questions,” Tara said. “Now, tell me where your companions plan on fleeing to.”

“I… I don’t know. When we tried to sneak out, they just ran off on me.”

Putting on his best “despaired” face, he tried to make his voice shakier.

“T-they must’ve known I’d be the easiest to catch, so they left me behind while they got away. Maybe they’d been planning on it for a while…”

Tara’s eyes narrowed.

“I find that difficult to believe. My troopers inform me you were the one piloting Lime Squad’s carrier; you must have had _some_ use to the other two.”

She looked at his head, then at his chest.

“Hm. I was also told you would be wearing brown armor. Neither of your companions share your hair color, so Sir Ray’s report of an Inlander with yellow hair could only be referring to you.”

Felix’s heart sank. How could Ray have gotten in contact with this group if he’d been left overseas? They’d taken his carrier, and although they’d left behind the rowboats there was no _way_ he could have caught up fast enough in one of those to confer with his accomplices.

_“Right…?”_

“Lady Tara,” one of the two remaining troopers, the shrill-voiced man who’d spotted them, said. “I saw the redhead you instructed us to capture wearing a helmet and chestplate similar to that description.”

“Curious,” she murmured. “Did you give her your armor willingly? Are you a friend of the one calling herself the Duke’s daughter?”

He felt himself turn a shade paler, at the sight of which Tara hummed.

“I will take that as a yes. Sir Ray claims the girl identified herself as a figure of great importance to our enemies, you know. He also says your ally with the darker skin possesses a Genesis Core.”

Tara cleared her throat rather harshly, as if to hide a chuckle. With a brief hand motion, the ice around Felix cracked apart and her henchmen grabbed him by the arms before he could slip on the frozen stretch of water.

“Bring him into the village. Ensure he is visible in the open. If he attempts to draw a weapon, sever the hand wielding it,” she instructed.

“If this one’s not important, Lady Tara, why don’t we just kill him?” the other trooper asked.

She was already stepping past him as she responded.

“Because his friends will return for him soon enough. And when they do, they will be ours.”

* * *

“No! Let go of me!”

Celia’s frantic attempts to break free of Blake’s grip only resulted in her nearly stumbling every time. With how fast he was pulling her along, it was hard enough to keep her footing, and the bottomless panic burrowing into her mind only made the lack of composure worse.

_“We left Felix behind…! We left him at the mercy of the Usurpation! No, no, no, I can’t lose him like this!”_

Blake didn’t even let go of her wrist when he started to dig beneath a short oak tree some ways into the forest. The stubborn refusal to loosen his hold offered something on which to focus her grief, which had now morphed into white-hot _fury._ In defiance of every lesson in professionalism she’d been taught in her life, Celia drew her iron sword in her free hand and leveled it toward him.

“I. Said. LET. GO!”

Daring to look alarmed at the threat, Blake _finally_ released her hand. However, he didn’t stop digging even as he voiced his displeasure.

“Are you crazy?!” he growled. “What do you think you’re pointing that at _me_ for?”

“You’ve caused us nothing but trouble ever since we met you!” Celia shot back. In an instant, all of her frustrations were boiling over at once. “You doubt every idea I suggest while second-guessing most of your own, and-“

Their pursuers’ voices emanated from the edge of the forest, shouting instructions to fan out to one another. She made out four distinct speakers, but couldn’t pay them any more mind before Blake dragged her forward, into the cramped hole with him. When he plugged the entrance with a dirt block, the hideaway became pitch black; there was no space to light a torch.

“How- how DARE you?” she sputtered. “Is your plan to hide here and hope the Usurpation passes us by altogether? Did you…”

Celia gasped.

“Did you _know_ Felix would be captured?! Was he the bait for your getaway?!”

“No,” Blake said. “None of this was supposed to happen.”

As quickly as she’d flared up, she went quiet. His tone was... unexpectedly somber, this time without the hostile edge she’d grown semi-accustomed to.

“I really did, for once, think the plan was foolproof,” he continued, “and we’d lead the Usurpation away without a hitch. I thought it’d go perfectly, letting everyone escape. But it didn’t. And because it didn’t, Felix got caught.”

Her eyes stung. She couldn’t see anything, but his breath audibly caught in his throat.

“Look, Princess.”

“Cou-“

“ _Countess,_ sorry. I know we haven’t gotten along much. I bet how I grew up is _nothing_ like how you did, and I’ll admit I don’t understand anything about nobility or how I should act around it.”

“Where are you going with this…?”

Blake heaved a sigh.

“We’re just… different. Different in how we think, and act, and plan ahead. And it doesn’t help that you and Felix are some of the first people I’ve really talked to in a _long_ time. So let’s just say I’d probably have trouble socializing with anyone.”

She frowned.

“I still don’t see your point.”

“Fine, here it is: I won’t lie, I keep thinking you’re a pain in the ass to deal with. But… recently, I wondered if I might not have been making it any easier for us to get along.”

Celia forced herself not to blurt out an agreement. As frustrating as he was to work with, she was willing to hear him out.

“You rush headlong into the unknown without planning enough,” he continued. “You never think the consequences of your decisions all the way through. But maybe I… wish I could think just a little more like you do.”

Blake sighed again.

“You were right yesterday. I _do_ hesitate on a lot of things. I focus on the small details more than I probably should, and it’s caused me trouble in the past- _and_ the present.”

She sniffed.

“It’s really no wonder we’ve had such difficulty agreeing... Felix has kept us in line, hasn’t he?”

“I think he’s just good at finding a solution with what’s given to him,” Blake said. “Too bad that all we’ve ‘given’ him are arguments to deal with.”

“And it’s _because_ of our bickering that he was captured. We alerted the Usurpation to our presence too soon,” Celia mumbled.

Had she not compulsively criticized his suggestion at the time, things would have turned out differently. She wiped a few tears out of her eyes, then gave up maintaining composure and sank her face into her palms.

“…what have I _done?_ ”

A few moments passed without another word. Only Blake’s occasional shaky breath and her stifled sobs filled the cramped space.

“I’m going to save him,” she eventually said. “I know the risks involved. I understand what’s at stake if I fail. But I have to _try_. It’s not as if we can escape by ourselves in any case.”

Blake took a deep breath.

“I guess so. Our odds don’t look good no matter what we do, and we have no idea when Ember’s going to get back. The best we can do is try and rescue your boyfriend.”

She blinked.

“He is not-“

“Kidding, kidding,” Blake said. “Still, though. It’s our fault he got captured. If you’re gonna try and rescue him, I’ve got your back.”

It was too dark for him to see, but a smile had come to Celia. She wiped her eyes one last time before replying.

“Thank you. We will need a plan, though; our odds against at least ten Usurpers in direct combat don’t instill much confidence.”

“Tell me about it. Thanks to the leader’s ice powers, we’ll also have to make sure we don’t fight her near the water.”

Celia perked up.

“Maybe we can fight them here? You said you’d be more effective in the forest, where the Bonemeal Core has an advantage. They may outnumber us, but we can use the environment against them.”

“That _would_ work,” Blake muttered, “but it hinged on all of the Usurpation chasing us here. Only a few of them actually followed us across the shallows.”

She could hear the uncertainty in his voice. This time, however, she didn’t let herself become irritated. At that moment, meeting each other halfway was more critical than ever.

“Doesn’t that make it even easier for us? We need only deal with a few of them at a time, rather than the entire group.”

“That’s not the point,” he replied. “Sure, whoever _chased_ us might be easy to take on, but I don’t think the leader is among them. I’d bet you anything she’s still at the village, waiting for us to try and get through the water to reach her. When we do, we’ll be on _her_ turf.”

Her enthusiasm faltered.

“You’re right. It’s not as if we can remove the ocean as a factor, either.”

“Well, if we had enough dirt, or dug a trench to empty it all out somewhere underground…”

Blake was muttering to himself, continuing that train of thought. He didn’t stop until Celia softly cleared her throat, at which point he clammed up and only said a brief, awkward apology.

“Removing the ocean _is_ impractical, if not impossible,” she said, “but I may have an idea in a similar vein. If we cannot bring the leader into the forest, perhaps we can turn the concept around?”

This time, he didn’t chime in with a problem, but an offer. An offer which made her smile again.

“…okay, Countess. Tell me what you’ve got in mind.”

* * *

“Sir Ray. We will reach Lady Tara’s position soon. Be prepared to assist as per her instruction.”

Trooper Crimson-2 stood behind him, delivering the report in a tone that almost sounded bored.

“Noted,” he muttered, his voice still raspy. Ray took another swig from one of the water bottles he’d been provided, gulping it down hard.

Footsteps suggested Tara’s peon had walked away. No other words were spoken, but it wasn’t hard to identify the disdain with which Crimson Squad was looking at him.

_“Pretentious idiots…”_

Two days of rowing had brought Ray to the cobblestone outpost of their shared investigation group. He’d all but dragged himself across the ice, starved and dehydrated, until the Usurpers Tara had left behind took him in for recovery. Weak, exhausted, and operating on instinct alone, Ray had even heard one of them remark how he looked like a drowned zombie. He’d explained what had happened once he was in a fit state to talk again, then contacted Tara herself to relay his warning of the Inlanders.

Since then, repairs on Crimson Squad’s larger naval carrier had been completed, and he now found himself on the deck, waiting to catch up.

_“Those three were cleverer than I expected. I wonder how she’ll handle it… ugh, who am I kidding?”_

He scowled. There wasn’t much mystery about it. Among fellow squads in the Expansion Division, and even in the Industrial Division where he worked, Tara’s emotionless, dismissive responses to _everything_ were infamous. Being partnered up with the Ice Queen herself was known to cripple morale, a fact made infuriating when he considered he would soon witness _her_ success.

_“Apprehending the Inlanders is her ticket to a promotion, meanwhile it’ll be a miracle if I’m even allowed to keep the Grass Core. Why does SHE get to be the successful one? She didn’t put herself in any danger at all!”_

Ray’s thoughts once more turned to the lost members of Lime Squad, and his heart sank. He leaned over the railing, watching the seafloor pass by below. They were taking a route around the frozen ocean, toward the island they’d discussed. The sun was high, reflecting off the water with bright shimmers, and the sight momentarily raised his spirits again.

“…the Inland is beautiful, I won’t lie. Once we’ve overtaken it, well… then all our struggles will pay off. Lime Squad’s deaths won’t be in vain, no matter what happens to me.”

As the carrier continued moving, he glanced over his shoulder again. A few members of Crimson Squad were staring at him, no doubt dwelling on his failure compared to their own _illustrious_ leader, but that wasn’t what concerned Ray.

The feeling of being watched by some other force was still there.


	11. A Bad Omen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blake and Celia try to rescue Felix from Tara's clutches, leading to a battle with the Usurpation Crimson Squad. As Ray arrives, the situation suddenly becomes much, much worse.

**Chapter 11: A Bad Omen**

Blake dug out the dirt above them, poking up his head to look for immediate dangers. None were visible, so he climbed out of the hole with Celia right behind him. Somewhere nearby, footsteps could be heard in the undergrowth.

“Okay, go do your thing,” he whispered.

“You’re clear on the plan?”

“Yeah. I can handle these guys, now get going.”

Celia nodded and started off deeper into the woods. Blake drew his stone blade, trying not to think about the chips in its edge.

He peered from behind the tree they’d hidden beneath and spotted a Usurper with his back to Blake, beside a birch tree about two chunks away. Gripping his weapon, he started toward the enemy, careful not to make a sound.

_“I have to keep them busy until Celia gets back. But if they all jump me at once, will I even be able to hold my own? I only fought off Ray’s goons with her and Felix’s help, and it was way too close for comfort. What if-”_

Blake paused in his step, one foot an inch off the ground. His inner monologue had nearly caused him to distractedly trod on a fallen twig mere blocks from the target. The Usurper wasn’t paying much attention to his surroundings, keeping his head bowed and focusing on something in his hands. He was open for an attack, but as Blake raised his sword he hesitated.

“…”

Could he really do it? Could Blake kill another person, even if he was an enemy likely out to kill _him?_ He’d taken down the likes of zombies countless times, not to mention an Illager patrol which had once ventured too close to his home. As the sole resident at the time, the tracking spell known to be placed on those who killed Illager captains had no effect- the decrepit town could hardly still be called a village. Blake recalled not feeling much about their deaths in the moment. After all, they were evil, feared and loathed by humans and villagers alike. It was either them or him.

But this case, similar as he tried to convince himself it was, _wasn’t_ the same. This was another person, one whose story he didn’t know. He didn’t trust the Usurpation, of course, but something about being in a position to kill someone directly was more than he could bear.

_“…but if I don’t deal with him, he’ll be more trouble later…”_

His eyes shifted back to the twig. He steeled himself and brought his foot down with a loud _crunch._

“What the-“

The Usurper turned on the spot, and was promptly struck in the head by the flat edge of Blake’s sword. He stumbled to the side and collapsed, face down in the grass. A black-covered book and quill fell from his hands.

_“That… could’ve killed him, too…”_

Blake let out the breath he’d unknowingly sucked in and loosened his trembling grip on the blade. Whatever the state of his fallen enemy, he couldn’t dawdle. There would be time to contemplate later.

He did, however, stoop to pick up the book. Glancing at the page the Usurper had been writing in, he was greeted by an indecipherable mess of scrawled symbols. Every few seconds, another line of them would appear beneath the last. Blake inspected the handwriting and found he could identify four different styles.

_“Never heard of a self-writing book before. Unless… is this how they’re communicating with each other?”_

He stowed it in his inventory. The writings were gibberish to him, but he got the sense Felix would love to take a look at it later.

_“Okay, who’s next?”_

“Did you hear something?”

“Twenty! Where are you?”

Right on cue, two more voices came from nearby. Footsteps approached, crunching through grass and more twigs. Blake looked at the birch tree’s leaf blocks, the lowest of which were within reach.

_“Time for a little test.”_

He punched out a few leaves until a sapling dropped into his hand. As the Usurpers came into view, drawing their swords, he held it tight while he kept his own weapon in a defensive stance.

“Twenty! You wretched Inlander!” one shouted upon seeing his downed cohort.

“Do you guys not have _names?_ ” he asked.

“Shut up! You’re going to pay for this!”

The pair’s eyes burned with hatred. Blake took a step back, trying to find better footing as they split up to circle around him. With a damaged stone blade in one hand and a sapling in the other, his odds didn’t look good. There was no time to figure out a plan beyond the half-baked idea stewing in his head.

_“Please don’t let this be like the forest back home…”_

First to approach was the grunt on his left. He turned to face the attacker, knowing his back was now mostly to the other one and grimacing at the thought. Their swords collided hard, causing Blake’s arm to tremble- he was only using one hand to block, something the Usurper seemed keen on exploiting. Growling behind her bandana, she shoved him back with a hard push against his sword. He stumbled away, nearly falling over. Her ally’s footsteps crept ever closer behind him, coming within a few blocks’ reach just as Blake regained his footing. A sudden crunch in the grass suggested the rear enemy was going in for a strike.

_“Here goes!”_

He parried another attack from the front Usurper with his sword. With his other hand, Blake pointed the birch sapling straight behind him. Praying he wasn’t about to get himself killed, he concentrated the Bonemeal Core’s energy into the plant.

A second later, Blake hit the ground in a clumsy roll. His hip ached from the landing, and his back felt like something had pummeled him. It wasn’t until he sat upright that he realized what exactly had happened.

The sapling was now a fully-grown birch tree, albeit laying on its side where he’d been standing. A good distance away, the rear Usurper was slumped against another tree, unmoving after having been _blown_ back when it grew point-blank into him. The force had thrown Blake forward too, and he’d collided with the astonished enemy in front before tumbling to the ground.

_“Like what I did to the spider back at the tree, but… WAY more powerful. Ow…”_

The Usurper he’d been facing off with wasn’t down for the count, however. She got up with a wince and brandished her sword, starting toward him. It was at that moment he realized his _own_ weapon was nowhere to be seen after the impact.

“That’s… ENOUGH…”

With an enraged cry and a raised blade, she ran at Blake before he could stumble to his feet. Unarmed and with no plant matter in reach to effectively defend himself, he scrambled back.

“No!”

There was a red and brown blur in front of him. The sound of clashing metal rang out, followed by a grisly slice. A moment later, the Usurper hit the ground.

“Too close… are you hurt?”

Celia turned to face him, white as a ghost and breathing hard. Her grip on her sword shook, but her expression was kept forcefully neutral.

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m okay…”

Blake got to his feet, rubbing the ache in his side. His eyes trailed to the fallen enemy and he felt his stomach clench. She didn’t even twitch- Celia had finished her off with a single, clean strike to the head.

“I gathered saplings,” she said, showing him a fistful of assorted types. “Another Usurper followed me, but…”

The chestplate Felix had given her sported a large gash on the front, under which an open wound was visible. Celia put a hand over it when Blake took the saplings, wincing.

“It’s not as bad as it looks. And I… dealt with him, too.”

Mortified as she looked, Blake reminded himself it wasn’t the time to dwell on that. He offered her some of the carrots he’d grown, trying not to stare at her injury.

“That’s everyone who followed us, I think,” he said. “Phase One was a success.”

As Celia ate, she lost her pained cringe and the wound closed up, leaving only a small spot of bare skin visible beneath the chestplate.

“With the saplings gathered, we can put their leader in your territory,” she replied. “Time for Phase Two. We need to get across _their_ territory.”

They made their way to the forest’s edge, looking out from where they hid at the beach and the shallows. Across the water, a few more Usurpers were patrolling the village’s outskirts.

“How do we go about this?” Blake asked.

“We cannot risk going into the water,” Celia muttered. “We _could_ collect logs to make wooden planks and build a bridge across.”

He considered it, then shook his head.

“We don’t know if the leader can only control ice, or ice and water. And even if it’s not both, we’d lose the element of surprise going over the sea.”

“You’re right… what if we were to dig beneath the village?”

Blake paused.

“Not a bad idea. And these guys don’t even have a radar to-“

His eyes widened, and he pointed at her chestplate.

“Hold on, _we’ve_ got a radar! Can we tell where the leader is?”

Celia reached into the hidden fold and withdrew the stolen Usurpation map. Sure enough, two Genesis Cores were visible: the purple Bonemeal Core at Blake’s position, and a yellow one which was being tracked in the direction of the village.

“We can avoid her easily! Or, better yet…”

Blake grinned.

“Have another idea in mind? You can tell me on the way there. I hope you’re not too tired for some more digging.”

“Not at all. Let’s get to work.”

* * *

Felix sat against the village’s well, right in the middle of the town. The Usurpers hadn’t confiscated any of his items, but the pair of troopers standing guard over him with weapons drawn discouraged any attempts to escape. He knew he wasn’t strong enough to fight them off.

_“What do I have available? A stone axe, an iron pick, a dispenser that doesn’t even have any arrows left, a torch, a button, a crafting table, and a door… I’m sure I could do SOMETHING with this stuff, but they’ll notice it too quickly if I try to pull any items from my inventory.”_

If there was any silver lining, it was the villagers had apparently been left to their own devices after his capture. The Usurpation team ignored them, aside from the patrolling grunts glaring threateningly at anyone who ventured too close to the edge of town. However, Felix’s heart sank at the miserable sight of the iron golem’s remains being salvaged by another pair of Usurpers.

_“These brutes…”_

Tara was nearby, arms folded and motionless. She faced away from him, in the direction his companions had escaped.

_“Please, Lady Celia, don’t come back just for me. Get out of here with Blake, and get back to Luxmouth. Please…”_

But Felix knew her better than that. He knew she was hardheadedly determined enough to want to rescue him, and impulsive enough to rush back over the water to that end. Though she didn’t seem to be coming yet, he suspected it was only a matter of time before she tried it and got captured.

_“If they hadn’t started arguing, this wouldn’t have happened. And to think they were finally cooperating, too.”_

“Hey! What is it you want with Luxmouth, anyway?” he called to Tara. Surely he could at least get _some_ information out of her, on the off chance he escaped.

She shot him a blank stare.

“The Usurpation requires sustenance,” she said, “like anyone else. The light Bonemeal Core housed within that city would make crop production trivial- and when we have it and its dark twin, we need never again concern ourselves over food shortages.”

Felix blinked.

“You want to invade a city just for _that?_ ”

“Hardly. Large settlements such as Luxmouth have impeded the Expansion Division most ever since we’ve entered the Inlands. As they fall, we progress. It is a simple matter.”

He quieted down; the tone of her voice didn’t suggest probing for further answers was a good idea. However, Felix stewed over what she’d said- limited as it was.

_“Large settlements… the neighboring cities? We haven’t heard much from them in a while, not since the invasion began. Could they still be giving the Usurpation trouble?”_

Felix hadn’t been to any of Luxmouth’s allied states since his crafting education began years earlier, but the gloomy mining caverns of Tenebyss and the treetop Spruce Roost villages were unforgettable. He’d always wanted to visit again, and he hoped they hadn’t succumbed to the invasion.

Tara had also gone quiet, and the silence was pronounced enough for Felix to hear a soft crunching noise nearby. His eyes traced across the ground to a point not far behind her, where a grass block was cracking and crumbling until it broke apart altogether. This time, the sound caught more attention than just his.

“Hm?”

Reaching for her sword, Tara approached the hole in the ground. She peered into it with a furrowed brow, while the two troopers near him looked on in similar confusion. Felix saw her eyes widen a fraction of a second before she leaped back from the hole. A large mass of leaf blocks burst from it, completely enveloping the spot Tara had stood at moments earlier.

“What?” she hissed. Though she did her best to compose herself, Felix had heard the split-second alarm in her voice.

More dirt blocks began to break apart under her feet, followed by the abrupt growth of a tree planted somewhere underground. They seemed to be following Tara, hounding her relentlessly until much of the village square was covered in round clumps of log and leaf blocks.

Finally, out of one hole in the ground clambered Celia, still wearing the leather armor and golden boots, holding her sword firm. Blake followed, a familiar looking map in one hand and an oak sapling in the other.

“Are you okay?” Celia shouted to him, finding a defensive stance as the two Usurpers drew their swords. Tara advanced from behind, but Blake stood back-to-back with Celia and warningly pointed the sapling at her.

Felix couldn’t believe what he was seeing on multiple levels.

“I-I’m fine,” he said. With the two guarding him distracted, he jumped to his feet and circled around until he stood with his allies, drawing his axe. “What are you doing here?”

“It was our fault you got caught,” Blake replied. “We had to do _something._ ”

Tara and her two cohorts were forming a triangle around them. More of the Usurpers gathered at the town square’s edge.

“You’ve just put yourselves in more danger by coming back for me,” Felix said.

“Nobody is being left behind,” Celia replied. “We can get through this together.”

They were now surrounded by nine enemies. Two charged from the right, swords high. Felix readied his axe to block, but Blake stepped in front of him and tossed the sapling. There was a loud _crunch_ as another fully-grown oak tree sprouted horizontally, launching the pair back.

“Wow…”

“I’ve only got one left,” Blake said, holding a birch sapling.

The seven Usurpers left standing tightened their circle around them, forcing the trio away from the trees- and by extension the leaf blocks which could have given them more impromptu weapons. Tara raised a hand, and an ice block formed in midair.

“You’re beginning to get on my nerves. You’ll regret that.”

With a flick of her wrist, the ice block shot forward. Felix swung his axe, shattering it before it could knock the final sapling out of Blake’s hands. Tara, eyes narrowing, conjured another one and prepared to throw it.

 _“Her Genesis Core must not work as well out of the water,”_ Felix thought, _“otherwise she would’ve frozen us all solid in an instant. She’s limited to one block at a time now!”_

That, however, didn’t make their chances much better. Tara hurled her second block, and once again Felix smashed it mid-flight. He could hold _her_ off, as long as his axe didn’t give out, but the troopers surrounding the trio were clearly waiting for an opening to swarm them.

“…huh?”

Blake was looking at the tracker with a frown.

“There’s a third Genesis Core shown here… another yellow one, moving right toward us.”

Felix’s blood chilled.

“It’s Ray. He’s caught up.”

Celia flinched and looked around.

“Impossible! He couldn’t have made it here without his transport, even if he _did_ survive the zombies!”

Tara grunted, casually twirling another ice block in her hand.

“He did. He rowed after you relentlessly, and he joined up with the rest of Crimson Squad. As disgraceful as his first failure was, I have to give him some credit for persevering. Surrender now; you are about to be even more woefully outnumbered.”

Sure enough, another group of black-garbed Usurpation troopers were making their way through the village. At the front, wearing a familiar ragged cloak and cracked goggles, Ray advanced toward them. His mouth was locked in a snarl, and his eyes looked bloodshot. The grass at his feet appeared to shudder with each step, twisting and curling around itself.

“Inlanders… hello again…”

“Don’t completely lose yourself, Sir Ray,” Tara muttered. “And don’t forget it was _your_ inadequacy that led to-“

She stopped talking. In unison, everyone in the village square looked up as a loud noise rang out. Felix hadn’t ever heard it before; it was a long, droning sound which sent an inexplicable yet horrible chill down his spine.

“What is that?” Ray asked aloud, looking for wherever the noise came from.

The sound reverberated again. Villagers could be heard panicking nearby, fleeing into their homes and slamming the doors shut. Elsewhere in the village, a bell began to frantically ring. Behind Felix, Blake let out a stifled gasp.

“…we have to get out of here.”

His grip on the axe trembled.

“What’s going on?”

All around them, the Usurpers were beginning to break formation. They uneasily turned to watch the village’s perimeter, steadily losing composure in the face of this new danger. A series of _twangs_ were suddenly heard.

“Lady Tar- aagh!”

One of the troopers fell, landing on his back with several arrows protruding from his torso. Before Felix could react, Blake leaped in front of him and Celia, placing his wooden door just in time for more arrows to embed in it. The sound- a horn being blown- rang out once again, and the apprehension in Blake’s face was impossible to ignore.

“It’s a raid!”

* * *

Celia’s eyes darted about the town square, her heart pounding as a new hostile force emerged. She’d heard of raids, but had never seen one herself. Growing up in Luxmouth under heavy security, the sight of an Illager alone was a rare one for her.

Despite always wondering what Illagers were like, she never would have wished to see over a dozen of them storming into the village with axes and crossbows drawn. Tall and ashy-skinned, not unlike the Usurpation, with large noses and stern expressions, the raiders possessed an aura of _wrongness_. They looked so much like normal, friendly villagers, yet their visages displayed nothing but malice.

“We need to go!” Blake repeated, this time shouting.

“Where? We’re surrounded!” she asked.

The Illagers didn’t concern themselves with the houses for the moment, instead focusing on the Usurpation. In an instant, the town rang out with battle cries and the shrieks of clashing metal. Everywhere Celia looked, she was met with either a trooper or a raider blocking a hypothetical escape route. Tara was busy defending herself from two axe-wielding Illagers, but Ray had no such distractions and was running right toward them.

“Incoming!” Celia yelped.

Blake stepped in front of her to face Ray. A stone and a metal blade collided, the former giving off a worrying “crack.” Celia, while the pair had their weapons locked, stepped in to strike. Her stab at Ray’s side was interrupted when the grass underfoot sprouted with supernatural speed, entangling her sword arm.

“Lime Squad died because of _you_ three!”

Ray took a two-handed swing, bashing against Blake’s sword with another vicious strike and forcing him to use both _his_ hands to keep his blade in steady. Preoccupied with his grip on the weapon, Blake couldn’t aim the sapling well enough to use the Bonemeal Core.

“ _You_ attacked _us!_ ” Blake grunted, taking a step back as Ray advanced.

The duel slowly led away from Celia, who twisted and pulled the tall grass around her arm. Felix joined her, hacking away at it from below with his axe. Taking notice of the predicament, both a Usurpation trooper and a crossbow-wielding raider set their sights on the two.

Cackling, the trooper approached and raised his sword. His swing toward her trapped arm never hit home, though, as Felix placed his oak door in the weapon’s path. Its wooden frame splintered apart from the impact, but Celia had been bought just enough time to free herself. She stood behind Felix, planting her own door on the ground to block an arrow from the Illager’s crossbow.

There was a hard “thump,” and Celia turned just in time to see Felix double over, the Usurper having driven a knee into his stomach. She was at the defensive in an instant, parrying the foe’s stab toward his neck.

“Submit, Inlander!” the trooper hissed. “You’ll never overco-“

Celia stomped as hard as she could on his foot. The brief cringe it yielded loosened his pressure on her sword, which she slashed across his chest. Although the Usurper stumbled back from the strike, she’d only managed to leave a small gash in the thin armor he wore under his cloak.

_“Blake could need help. I have to end this quickly!”_

She moved to plunge her sword into the new weak point, but he was ready to block her this time. Their blades clashed again, and Celia’s arms buckled as she tried to keep her grip.

_“Ugh! Where are you, Ember?!”_

The trooper was pushed away by an attack from Felix, who had swung his axe into the man’s chestplate from below. He audibly groaned and struggled to catch his breath, with the crack in his armor even wider.

Celia steadied herself as her friend got to his feet, looking shaken but unharmed. The Usurper didn’t even have time to raise his weapon again before an arrow embedded itself in the broken part of his armor from behind them. He toppled backwards, down for the count.

“You’re next!” a nasal voice chided.

The crossbow-slinging raider had moved to have a line of sight around Celia’s door, from where he’d shot the trooper. He loaded another arrow and took aim, but was himself interrupted when an ice block slammed into the side of his head. Dazed from the impact, his shot missed them both by a wide margin.

Celia turned to meet Tara’s gaze, and she shuddered at how passionless the Usurper appeared. The battle raged around them, yet she looked _bored_ as she stepped over the corpses of the two Illagers who’d attacked her, one of whom lacked a head. She generated another ice block in her free hand.

“What is all of this?” Tara asked. “These brutes are clearly not your allies.”

“You’ve never heard of a bad omen?” replied Celia. Though this was the first raid she’d experienced (and, she hoped, the _only_ one), she had learned a bit about Illager sorcery growing up. “One of your peons must have-“

“Lady Celia!” Felix blurted out. “We should go!”

She looked at him, then took a moment to survey the surroundings. Tara had been set upon by another axe-wielder, but was already overpowering him. The rest of the Illagers and Usurpers remained locked in battle, leaving none to focus on the pair of them.

“I agree. Let’s find Blake and escape!”

Not sparing the carnage another look, Celia ran off toward the church. She only hoped their companion would be there already.

* * *

“I’ll make you suffer how my team did TEN TIMES OVER!”

Ray’s attacks- and his threats- were no less ferocious as Blake continued to be pushed further from the village square. The Usurper wasn’t just disheveled in appearance; his sword form was sloppy, focused on large, intimidating swings rather than practicality.

_“Even I’m better than this, and I’ve been out of practice. But…”_

Parrying his opponent’s blade was less of an issue than constantly having to shift his attention to the terrain. Although Ray’s swordsmanship was nothing special, his Grass Core compensated to a worrying degree. Blake found himself struggling not to trip over a tight grass knot every few steps, and the distraction eventually paid off for his foe.

“Hold still!”

A clump of grass ensnared his foot as he was aiming a stab, and he stumbled back. Ray took another mighty swing, which Blake feebly tried to block with a one-handed grip. The impact both broke his stone blade and launched the hilt from his hand.

_“Damn…!”_

With the next slash incoming, he drew from his inventory the only weapon he had left. His shovel had broken while digging the tunnel under the village, but the wooden axe hadn’t been used since he crafted it that first night after leaving home. Blake held it up in a panic, just in time for his foe’s curved iron blade to bite into it and crack its head in two.

“Are you kidding me?!” Ray snarled, wrenching his sword free. “Stop stalling and DIE!”

Sidestepping a thrust, Blake clubbed him in the head with the handle of his broken axe. Though his impromptu weapon was little more than a stick, it surprised Ray enough for him to steal the blade right out of his hands.

_“I’m really wishing I’d brought that diamond sword with me…”_

There wasn’t even time to take in how Blake’s new blade felt before he heard several harsh snaps to his left. Recognizing the sound, he scrambled aside as a row of fanged, monstrous jaws materialized where he’d stood, crunching at the air. At the beginning of the line, an Illager in black robes with gold trim leered in his direction.

Ray had also avoided the fangs, now on one knee with a hand in the grass. It didn’t seem possible for him to become even angrier _,_ yet the look in his eyes could only be summarized as single-minded _loathing_.

“You must be the one we tracked here!” the Illager chuckled, not looking at Blake but at Ray. “You’ll regret taking out that patrol.”

_“He had a bad omen? No wonder the raid party showed up with him!”_

Ignoring the question of when Ray might have _acquired_ such a status, Blake called to the sorcerer.

“Hey. I guess we’ve got a common enemy, want to-“

Unsurprisingly, he was interrupted by and forced to jump over another line of fangs emerging from the ground.

“Save your breath, human. ALL of you will fall before us!”

Ray stood up, and Blake saw what he’d been kneeling for. Elongated blades of grass had snaked around his right arm, coiling and weaving themselves into what could only be described as a tendril. The Bonemeal Core’s energy hummed within Blake, as if responding to the Grass Core’s effect on the plant life.

_“He wasn’t kidding when he said he had better control than I do…”_

“Arise, spirits of affliction,” intoned the Illager, raising both arms. “Swarm and destroy my enemies!”

Bursts of pale vapor emitted from his hands, followed by the sudden apparition of three small, ghostly winged creatures armed with tiny swords. Their pure white eyes glinted maliciously.

 _“Crap! Vexes!”_ he thought, a pit forming in his stomach.

They flitted about, seeming to ignore Ray altogether in favor of attacking _him_. He warded one off with a swing of the curved blade, cutting it out of the air, but a second jabbed at his left shoulder while he was distracted. The wound, though not deep, stung fiercely, and Blake cringed when he brought his arm up to slash at the vex. His wild attack didn’t do more than make it retreat to a safer distance.

_“That’s my good arm, too…”_

Not helping matters was the new weapon’s unfamiliarity. It was both lighter and shorter than the straight blade he was used to, and swinging the curved edge felt alien to his muscle memory. Blake managed to score a hit on the offending vex when it swooped toward him again, but he could hear the third one giggling right behind him. As he turned to confront it, the grass underfoot tangled around his ankles. He barely avoided falling over, panicking when the vex shrieked a battle cry.

No feeling of the short sword piercing his neck came, however. Daring to look back, Blake saw the vex restrained just out of reach of him, furiously struggling. It was held in place by Ray’s tendril, which had extended several blocks in length and coiled around the tiny monster. Along the ground, more fangs from the sorcerer were similarly ensnared in long blades of grass.

“What?” the Illager growled.

Ray, with a swing of the tendril, _threw_ the vex at its master. Blake watched, mouth agape, as he followed up by launching himself onto the sorcerer and bludgeoning him barehanded. Within moments, the Illager lay motionless.

Blake cut at the weeds around his feet while Ray seemed preoccupied with inspecting something on the Illager’s body. It wasn’t until he finally freed himself that his foe turned to face him. By then, however, Blake was ready to turn the tables. The grass tendril whipped around as he pointed the last sapling at Ray, and for a fraction of a second before he concentrated the Bonemeal Core’s power he saw the Usurper’s eyes alight with shock.

He didn’t lose his footing when the tree grew this time. Ray, on the other hand, was blown clear off the ground and through the window of a nearby house. A crash was heard within, and a pair of terrified villagers fled out the door.

Ray’s last attack had landed just before the tree sprouted, leaving a cut on his cheek that stung even worse than his shoulder. Weary and wincing, Blake called to the panicking townsfolk.

“Hey, are you hurt?”

The pair trembled when they looked at him, but shook their heads.

“We need to get out of here,” he continued. “Head to the church; there should be someone inside with a way to escape.”

“Actually, I’m right here.”

Blake whirled to see Ember, still clad in iron armor with a golden helmet, standing a few blocks away. He wasn’t letting himself feel relieved just yet, but a face other than a Usurper or Illager was a welcome sight.

“I don’t know _what_ happened here,” he said, diamond sword held tight as he cast around a cautious glance, “but I’m doing my best to continue the plan. Both enemy forces are distracted, and I’ve guided as many townsfolk to safety as I could, so let’s get going.”

Never having wanted to be somewhere _less,_ Blake nodded. He clutched his injured shoulder and began to run after Ember, the two villagers close behind.

_“Where are the others, though…?”_

* * *

The axe swung past Celia by a hair’s width, and its momentum carried the Illager wielding it into a stumble. She put him down with a quick stab, then turned to check on the group of villagers following her.

After escaping the initial skirmish, she and Felix found themselves passing by a large house where, rather than barricading their own homes, six townsfolk had opted to hide together. A pair of raiders had broken down the door just as they arrived, but were dispatched before any innocents could be harmed.

“We are making for the church, where an ally is preparing an escape route,” she’d told them, “Follow us, and we will keep you safe!”

Another wave of Illagers had arrived shortly thereafter, and by some twist of fortune devoted most of their number to attacking the Usurpation first. Celia, not one to question the logic given fate had thrown her a bone at last, had led the villagers out of the house and toward the church with Felix bringing up the rear. Working their way around the town’s perimeter, they’d managed to round up another three villagers.

That was how she wound up at the farm, pursued only by a few Illagers and with the Usurpation nowhere in sight. The planter was devoid of crops, no doubt due to the raid, but there were at least no more trapped civilians. Her spirit soared when the church came into view, mere chunks away.

“There it is. Go, go!” one villager exclaimed.

“I dunno what you’re thinking will get us to safety, lady,” another said, “but it’s better than waiting around here. Thanks!”

As they began to run the final stretch, her eye was caught by a sudden movement from behind another small house. A crossbow shot sounded, and she’d thrown herself in front of a villager before she could even process her reaction.

“Ugh-!”

The arrow struck her in the hip, digging through the leather armor Felix had lent her. Pain seared up and down her torso, and Celia had to bite her tongue to withhold a scream. She shakily clutched her side with her free hand, feeling blood on her fingers.

“Miss me?!”

Through teary eyes she could see the attacker: the same crossbow-wielding pillager who’d been struck by Tara before. His head sported a large, dark bruise, but he had a vicious grin as he loaded another arrow.

“LADY CELIA!”

Felix stood in front of her, facing down the raider.

“All of you, keep going!” he shouted. She couldn’t see his face, but his panic and anger were audible.

_“I-is that really him? I don’t think I’ve ever heard him raise his voice so much…”_

The villagers hesitated, and Celia heard them mutter uncertainly.

“Just run! Get to safety!” she added. “We’ll be okay!”

Whether or not they were convinced- and truth be told, _she_ wasn’t convinced- they did as asked and hurried off. The Illager let them go, taking aim at the pair again.

Celia flinched at the sound of another shot, but all she heard was the _thunk_ of an arrow striking stone. She looked up and saw what had gotten in the way: Felix had placed his crafting table on the ground and his dispenser atop it, facing the Illager. He then picked up the arrow, loaded it into the dispenser, and launched it back using the button he’d held on to. The returned projectile hit the raider quite literally head-on, and he collapsed onto his back. Had Celia not been injured, she might have cheered at his sleight of hand; all of it occurred in _seconds_.

“Whoa! Are you guys okay?!”

Blake’s voice came from the left. He, Ember, and another two villagers were approaching, and despite the pain Celia felt a smile reach her. It faded when she saw the cut on his cheek and the way he clutched his shoulder.

“I’ve had worse,” she said as Felix helped her stand. Blood continued to leak from around the arrow, and another searing jolt passed through her “Well… perhaps I haven’t.”

“It’s been a rough day for everyone,” Ember replied. “We’re heading out now. Do you need help getting back to the church?”

Felix had one arm around her.

“I can get her there. Let’s go.”

More horns went off throughout the village, and the sounds of fighting continued, but the group made it to the church without further interruption. There, they climbed down the ladder- a very painful experience on Celia’s part due to her wound- to the hidden room below, where a large group of villagers crowded around and hesitantly looked at the Nether portal.

Ember got to work distributing more golden helmets and boots immediately, shouting above the gathering.

“Everyone put something on! And I mean _everyone!_ After that, jump through the purple vortex over there!”

The villagers did as told, though most of them clearly struggled to fit the armor. One by one, they stepped into the obsidian frame and disappeared until only the four of them were left.

“I’ll cover our tracks,” Ember said, starting back toward the ladder. “Get inside; we’ve got reinforcements waiting for you.”

“No point in hanging around here,” Blake remarked, still holding his shoulder.

Felix spoke up, sounding for all the world like he was apologizing.

“…thank you both, for coming to save me.”

“Talk later!” Ember snapped.

Celia winced as she approached the portal.

“He’s right. We may discuss amongst ourselves once we are safe. Follow my lead!”

Hoping she wasn’t about to walk into an even worse situation, she entered the purple vortex and felt herself slip away from the world.


	12. On a Rail

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trio earns a moment of respite after their harrowing escape from the raid. They set off toward Luxmouth with help from Ember, and for the first time they really begin to feel like a team.

**Chapter 12: On a Rail**

Blake hadn’t forgotten the Nether’s stifling, unbearably hot air since his last visit years ago, yet it managed to catch him by surprise regardless as he emerged from the portal. The netherrack cave in which he’d arrived had been mined out, flattening the floor enough for the entire crowd of villagers to semi-comfortably space themselves apart. Not that it mattered; they all huddled together anyway, murmuring to one another in hushed, uneasy tones.

_“I don’t blame them. Can’t say I was too keen on ever coming back here…”_

He noticed an odd feeling of hollowness in his chest, like some part of him was disappointedly longing for something. Blake’s thoughts of his past and the friends he’d once known had never left his mind, but he couldn’t say they had ever brought his mood down during the journey. And for all his nostalgia, going to the Nether wasn’t one of the experiences he wished to relive.

It took a moment to realize the unusual sense of melancholy was coming from the Bonemeal Core, which wasn’t pulsing its usual energy across his body.

_“Of course! There’s pretty much no plant life here, so it’s not as active as it was before. But… does this mean it has a mind of its own? It DID speak to me when I found it, I think. Maybe that has something to do with it...”_

His companions were to the side, being inspected by a pair clad in iron armor with golden helmets exactly like Ember’s. One of them had removed the arrow from Celia’s hip and was applying a splash potion to the wound, presumably of healing. Felix sported no slashes or stabs, but he’d clearly taken a battering of his own during the escape, and the second stranger was handing him a potion as well. A third armored person stood with the villagers, ensuring they were all wearing a golden garment.

“Hey, over here!” the stranger caring for Celia shouted to Blake, brushing a blonde lock away from her eyes. “Are you hurt?”

“I’ve got a few injuries, but I don’t think they’re bad enough to use a potion on. Then again, the last time this happened I wound up bleeding so much I passed out, but I don’t think the cut was as deep…”

He spotted Celia raising a brow and shut up, clearing his throat.

“A-actually, I’ll take a potion. Just to be safe.”

Ember’s ally, though clearly bemused, approached with another glowing pink bottle. She applied the potion to his shoulder, and soothing comfort settled over him. Eating food was always a surefire way to improve one’s health, but the relief brought by a potion had its own appeal. Blake had never understood how to brew, so it had been years since the last time he’d used one.

_“Maybe that’s something I should learn…?”_

The portal hissed behind him, and Ember stepped out.

“Is this everyone?” he asked aloud. “We tried to gather as many of you as we could; I apologize for dragging you all here.”

In unison, the villagers began to mutter and shuffle around, with one particularly old-looking blacksmith counting heads. Once he was done, he gave a reassuring smile.

“That’s the whole village. Everyone’s accounted for.”

A ten ton weight lifted from Blake’s chest, and he felt himself smiling too.

“You covered our tracks?” the golden-haired young woman asked Ember.

“Yep, the Usurpation won’t be following us in here. But that’s not really our main problem, I’ll fill you all in.”

While Ember’s group gathered to discuss the matter at hand, Blake wandered to where Celia and Felix were standing. The former had taken off the leather armor and was trying to wipe dirt and grass off her dress.

“Hey, guys. Doing okay?”

Felix offered a grin.

“Considering how narrowly we got out of that? I’m better than expected.”

Blake chuckled, then grimaced when he realized how uncomfortably sweaty his hair had become. Each of them was a mess, their appearances nearly as disheveled as Ray’s after several days of nonstop fleeing, hiding, and fighting.

“I sure hope you are. We didn’t pull off that daring rescue just for you to die on us in the process.”

Though Felix also laughed, his mood faded when he looked at Celia’s torn dress where the arrow had struck.

“No, but you were both hurt saving _me._ You two need to get back to Luxmouth safely more than anything...”

“It’s what any friend would do,” Celia replied, her voice soft. “Your armor helped me after all; I don’t want to imagine how much worse the injury might’ve been.”

Blake frowned.

“What happened, anyway?”

“We were rounding up more villagers when one of the raiders caught up to us,” Felix explained. “He took a shot at them, and Lady Celia jumped in the arrow’s path.”

Impulsive. Reckless. He hadn’t known her for more than a few days, yet it fit the image he’d made of Celia perfectly. Still… he had to admit, taking the initiative to protect someone else was admirable. Blake didn’t have it in him to be exasperated about that

“Well, I’m glad you’re both okay,” he said. “If it weren’t for you-“

“Excuse me, everyone! Listen up!”

Ember stood atop a block of netherrack as he addressed the crowd. Blake decided to hold that thought, his attention on their new ally instead.

“I can’t say enough how sorry we are that your village got caught up in all that. You’ve been displaced from your homes, and we don’t know when it’ll be safe to bring you all back. In the meantime, the best we can do is have my friends help everyone settle down here in the Nether.”

He gestured to his similarly-armored cohorts, each of whom gave the villagers reassuring waves and smiles of varying convictions. Blake wasn’t surprised to hear even more concerned murmuring from the crowd; “safe” and “the Nether” weren’t commonly said together for good reason.

“I understand if you’re worried,” Ember continued, “but both of the enemy groups we escaped from could still be in your town. Until we’ve determined it’s safe for you all to return, we’ll set up a temporary shelter in these caves. It won’t be comfortable, but it’s all we’ve got.”

“What about food?” someone shouted from the crowd. More murmuring followed.

One of Ember’s companions, a young man with tanned skin and sandy brown hair, raised a hand.

“We’ve brought an emergency stock of bread and some fruit. There are also mushrooms to be found here in the Nether, so we can make stews, but we’ll have to ration everything out. I won’t lie; we don’t have much.”

“Actually,” a familiar voice spoke up, “I reckon we have everything we need.”

The farmer they’d met upon entering the town stepped forth, dragging a chest behind him. Blake’s eyes widened when he saw the villager open it, revealing an enormous supply of vegetables and wheat.

“I dunno where all this stuff came from,” the farmer continued, “but I found it in my chest right before the raid started. There’s enough food here to last us at least three months. My crops were all fully grown, too, so I harvested them bright and early. They should’ve taken way longer to be ready; I’ve never seen anything like it.”

In an instant, the tense atmosphere noticeably lightened. Blake felt the gazes of Celia and Felix on the back of his head. He just smiled, not speaking up.

_“I don’t need the glory.”_

“Uh… in that case, this’ll be easier for us all,” Ember said. “My friends will get to work on your shelter and go over how to stay safe here. Don’t worry, we’ll make sure you get home safe.”

With that, he stepped off the block and approached Blake’s group with a bashful smile.

“I still can’t believe we pulled this crazy plan off.”

“It was hardly a perfect execution. We met a different roadblock at nearly every turn,” said Celia.

Blake shrugged.

“True, but we somehow made it work. Teamwork won the day, or whatever.”

“Cheesy,” Felix remarked, though not without a tiny grin. “Now then, how are we going to get to Luxmouth from here? It’ll take weeks to walk, and even if we crafted more boats back in the overworld we’d still have to be careful…”

“Ahem. I think I can help you with that.”

Ember pointed behind the villagers, to where a long tunnel, two blocks wide and high, had been dug into the netherrack. Blake stared at it with some apprehension; he couldn’t even see the end of it. On the ground, two rail tracks were installed, with a golden powered rail spaced every few blocks. A chest was placed beside them.

“Allow me to properly introduce us,” Ember began. “My friends and I are part of a group called the Netherrack Network. We’re couriers of information, supplies, and sometimes people from place to place, using the Nether to pass right under the Usurpation’s noses.”

Celia hummed.

“I cannot say I’ve heard of you in Luxmouth. Is your order a new one?”

“Well, we’re not _from_ any one place, so we’ve probably stayed under the notice of the big-wigs like House Lumis or Horizon’s Outreach. Not even the Iron Garrison knows about us for the most part. We _have_ had dealings with TOEC, though…”

“Really?” Celia said, perking up in particular at the last name Ember mentioned.

“Oh yeah, I hear my boss has met with some officials from Tenebyss once or twice.”

Blake desperately glanced at Felix in the hopes he would look just as _lost_ as he felt. No such luck; he didn’t speak up, but would occasionally nod in response to a name or place. Blake alone didn’t seem to have a clue what was being discussed.

_“There’s so much of the world I haven’t seen, and to think I’m only now heading out to experience it... I wonder if any of the gang made it all the way out there.”_

A subtle dread weighed on him.

_“…I wonder if THEY got caught up in the invasion too.”_

“We can talk more about this later,” Ember said, bringing him back to the present. “For now, I’ve got some mine carts. It’s a straight ride toward one of our outposts, and from there I’ll escort you guys the rest of the way to Luxmouth. We’ll get both you and that Bonemeal Core into safe hands in just a little over a day. Sound good?”

Blake and his companions looked between one another in incredulity. What was he _talking_ about?

“Uh… I get that mine carts are faster than walking,” he began, “but there’s no way they’re fast enough to make _that_ trip in just a day. Felix, how long did you say the boat would take?”

“Six days,” Felix said, his brow furrowed.

“Exactly. And that was a Usurpation transport, which could cover way more distance than anything _we_ have. Unless you’ve got a Usurpation mine cart, or something?”

Ember frowned.

“You really don’t know much about the Nether, do you? I’ll summarize it: traveling one block’s distance in here is the same as traveling _eight_ blocks’ distance outside.”

Blake had no words. Somehow, he felt like the vast world had considerably _shrunk_ in an instant. Celia’s mouth flapped uselessly.

“But- that- that isn’t- how…?”

“Space just works differently here,” Ember said with a shrug. “Point is, we’ll make better time on the rails. Are you in?”

“O-of course!” Celia sputtered, bouncing on her heels. “Had I known _this,_ I would’ve traversed the Nether in the first place!”

Felix tapped his chin.

“It can’t be easy to place all the tracks and dig the tunnels you need,” he remarked.

“Hence why we’re not going right _to_ Luxmouth. Our highways don’t extend into the city itself, but I can get you pretty close to it,” replied Ember.

He approached the tunnel, rummaging through the chest and withdrawing four mine carts. Waving to his fellow Netherrack Network members one last time, he placed them on the rightmost tracks.

“Hop in. Leave the back for me, please.”

Blake climbed into the frontmost cart and sat down. The hard iron shell wasn’t comfortable by any means, but he’d take what he could get. Celia took the cart behind him, with Felix sitting behind _her_. Finally, Ember settled into the last cart.

“Okay, hold on!”

Ember threw a lever at the back, and the powered rails below them blinked online. The mine carts rolled forth, beginning down the endless netherrack tunnel.

* * *

Ray didn’t know it was _possible_ to ache so thoroughly. He lay face-down on a wooden floor, covered in books courtesy of the shelf he’d crashed into. Every part of his body was stiff and unresponsive, and he felt so weak he feared closing his eyes would mean never opening them again. With neither his sword nor the grass tendril at hand, he grimly realized he was entirely helpless.

_“Damn… he got the better of me after all…”_

That was it, then. He would never be able to avenge Lime Squad, and with his passing the entire group would be gone. Ray, and especially his agents, were never to be mourned or missed. Unarmed and already at death’s door, all he could do was hope the Grass Core would find itself in the hands of one who would succeed where he hadn’t.

To his surprise, however, the end never claimed him. In fact, he felt his pain _lessening_ until he was able to wearily sit upright, books clattering to the floor around him. It occurred to Ray that he’d been holding something the whole time: a small golden statue with green eyes and a large nose like those of the village dwellers or the gray-skinned raiders. He had taken the curious item from the sorcerer’s body a moment before the Inlander with the dark Bonemeal Core caught him by surprise.

_“…hm. I don’t think I ever got his name.”_

The gilded totem faded away in his hand as Ray’s strength returned. By the time it was gone completely, all of his injuries had likewise disappeared. From outside, he could hear the faint sounds of battle only faintly.

_“What’ve I missed?”_

Withdrawing the Genesis Core tracker, he found only his own and Tara’s Cores were displayed.

_“Whatever happened, I know I’m not going to like what I find out there…”_

Ray heaved a weary sigh and got to his feet, exiting the shack he’d wound up in through the wide open door.

He walked the deserted paths between the houses and found only death. The bodies of gray Inlanders dotted the ground, axe and crossbow wielders alike. Curiously, he couldn’t find any of their non-hostile counterparts among the dead. Ray followed the coordinates of Tara’s light Ice Core until he passed through the village square, where even more raiders and several Crimson Squad troopers were scattered about. The sounds of battle had loudened, and he picked up the pace, grabbing a sword from a fallen Usurper on his way.

Finally, he reached the edge of the town, where Tara and a mere three troopers were warily surrounding an enormous, four-legged creature with a thick hide. It had a face uncannily like the large-nosed Inlanders, but the way it thrashed and growled at Crimson Squad suggested no greater intellect than an animal’s. The beast had a saddle on its back, but its rider, likely the lone dead crossbow raider nearby, had been dealt with.

Ray’s stomach twisted at the sight of another trooper’s body beneath one of the creature’s massive legs- clearly, it had avenged the death of its master with considerable prejudice.

“Where have _you_ been?” Tara shouted upon noticing him. She threw an ice block which shattered against its head, doing little more than annoying it.

“Nice to see you too,” he muttered. “Let me give you a hand.”

The grass under the beast’s feet sprouted at his command, ensnaring its hind legs. Another focus caused its front legs to be tangled as well, preventing it from doing anything other than snarl furiously as the survivors of Crimson Squad overwhelmed it with attacks from the sides. When the creature finally slumped in the grass’ clutches, dead, the troopers looked ready to collapse as well.

Tara stared at Ray, and he resisted the urge to flinch.

“The Inlanders escaped.”

She wasn’t asking him.

“…yeah. They got away somehow; they don’t even appear on the tracker anymore. Looking for them now would be a fool’s errand.”

“I could surmise that,” she snapped. “Were it not for the sudden arrival of these… _things_ , we would have had them cornered.”

Ray looked over the bodies littering the town.

“Their numbers got the better of us. These Inlanders aren’t that strong individually; I managed to take down three of them before making my way here.”

“I beg your pardon?”

He paused, reflecting on what might have confused her.

“…oh. Did I not report that last part to you? After Lime Squad’s defeat, three Inlanders like the ones we encountered here pilfered their belongings before coming after me. I dealt with them all, then I began to make my way across the ocean.”

Another pause, then his heart skipped a beat. What he said next, he practically had to pry from his lips as Tara stared through him.

“And… when I was fighting the Core thief, one of the raiders said this group had ‘tracked’ me here, after I killed their ‘patrol.’”

If it was even possible for her to show _less_ responsiveness than usual, she was somehow managing it. But Ray could read between the lines- or the lack thereof- well enough: the Bonemeal Core had evaded their grasp once again, by virtue of an interruption. And it had been _his_ fault, knowingly or not.

Speaking of an interruption, another horn sounded from the other side of the town. The five of them looked up in disbelief as the cruel laughter of even more raiders could be heard approaching.

“You’ve got to be kidding me…” Ray muttered.

“Prepare our transport,” Tara said aloud. “Our mission is a failure.”

The three troopers looked between one another, then made off toward their carrier. Ray’s heart pounded- despite being of equal rank to Tara, he felt _microscopic_ under her gaze.

“Understand, Sir Ray,” she began, enunciating each word as slowly as she could, “that you are to explain your failure in full detail when we deliver our report. _You_ are to accept all blame- and consequence- for this disgrace.”

Tara didn’t wait to hear a response, about-facing and following her troopers onto the beach where Crimson Squad’s carrier awaited. Ray, guilt and worry gnawing at him from all sides, trudged after her.

* * *

After how frantic the past few days had been, the sound of minecarts rumbling was almost soothing to Celia. That morning in particular had unquestionably been the most terrifying she’d ever lived through, so the quiet of the endless netherrack tunnel and the repetitive clunking of iron wheels on iron tracks provided a welcome solace.

_“To think it took retreating to the Nether for us to find safety… the Usurpers are indeed relentless.”_

She wondered how her father was doing. Her enthusiasm to return home dwindled at the thought of the scolding she’d no doubt receive for leaving. Celia hadn’t thought anything of it at the _time_ , but two weeks of travel and her recent encounters with the Usurpation had quickly taught her a valuable lesson on thinking things through.

_“As well as…”_

Blake was rather awkwardly curled up in his mine cart, hands resting on his knees. The healing potion had cured his injuries, but he still sported countless scrapes from the battle and his clothes were much more torn than they’d been when he first ran into her under that enormous tree.

_“I look worse for wear myself, as does Felix. We’ve been through a lot these last few days.”_

Although Blake had been staring into space, watching the netherrack walls blur past, he turned a bit to meet Celia’s gaze when he noticed her looking at him.

“Uh… something the matter?”

She softly cleared her throat, trying to find the right words.

“No. I just… wanted to thank you again for accompanying us. I understand it was asking a lot, and it certainly hasn’t been an easy time.”

Blake chewed his tongue for a second, then cracked a grin.

“It hasn’t. But it’s not like I had any _other_ direction in life, you know?”

“You keep alluding to that lack of purpose,” she remarked, “and how you have nobody else. Did… something happen?”

As soon as the words left her mouth, Celia regretted them.

“You don’t have to answer that if I pried too much-”

He held up a hand to stop her, shaking his head.

“No, no, it’s fine. See, in the village I came from, I had a group of friends growing up. We went on little adventures, fought mobs, built stuff, all that. It was simple, but we were just kids having fun.”

Blake had a distant look in his eyes, like he was no longer entirely in the present with Celia.

“None of them died or anything, before you start to worry. We got in trouble a lot, and we definitely came close to biting it a few times when we got too cocky fighting monsters, but we always scraped through. Then… we got older.”

She felt an odd tightness in her chest.

“One by one, my friends started to leave. They set off to parts unknown, looking for their calling in life, and before I knew it I was the last one in town. A year and a half later, even the villagers moved out. Then it was just me.”

“You hadn’t found a calling?” Felix asked from behind her. When he’d started paying attention to the conversation, Celia wasn’t sure, though Blake didn’t seem to mind. Ember, at the back, also appeared to be listening but said nothing.

“I thought I had. I thought they’d _eventually_ come back, and we could all go exploring again. So I waited, all alone in that little town and trying to keep it in the same condition as when they’d left.”

His eyes were closed, and he gave a short, bitter chuckle.

“After all, if I didn’t preserve it, then we’d never be able to get the group back together, right? Things wouldn’t return to how they were.”

“But that was never going to happen, was it?” Celia murmured.

A moment of silence passed.

“No,” said Blake, “it wasn’t. I just couldn’t accept that my time with them was over. The thought of leaving home and finding my own story was… well, insane to me. So I stayed there, getting sadder and less ambitious by the day because I couldn’t work up the nerve to just throw myself out there. I was always afraid I’d somehow mess it up.”

“What changed?” she asked.

Another bitter laugh.

“I got the push I needed. The day before I met you two, I found a letter from one of my friends. I guess she saw what I was becoming before I did, so she left me a note telling me to get out and see the world. So, in a funny sort of way, I _still_ haven’t lived for myself just yet. Not if a letter from one of my old friends is what it took.”

All at once, Celia found herself understanding him just a bit better. His hesitations and his difficulties in communicating with her weren’t just products of a different home environment, without the social structure of Luxmouth. They were expressive of someone who hadn’t even decided what _he_ wanted out of his life. Her status as the Duke’s daughter guaranteed what path she would take, but Blake evidently had no such direction.

 _“To think, once he finally set off on his own journey, he was strung up in all of this…_ ”

She blinked as her eyes began to sting, and her gaze fell. How could she have been so impatient with him?

“But for what it’s worth? This isn’t the worst thing I could’ve imagined would happen.”

Celia looked up at him again. He was giving her and Felix a small grin.

“I mean, I could go without being wanted dead by an invading army. But before all of this, I was just some weirdo in an abandoned village. Now I’m a weirdo with magic bonemeal powers who’s traveling with a princess from overseas. Not a bad deal, right?”

Her lips quirked.

“Because we managed to survive the day, I’ll let you get away with that one,” she said. “ _And_ because we were able to work together after all.”

“And it only took Felix getting caught by the Usurpation to make us stop bickering,” Blake remarked. “Let’s try not to let it come to that again, okay?”

Celia nodded, offering her friend an apologetic look.

“Indeed. We may not think alike in many regards… but perhaps we can put our disagreements to a more productive use in the future?”

Felix, to her surprise, could only be described as seeming visibly satisfied.

“I like the sound of that too, Lady Celia.”

“You like the sound of everything she says,” Blake teased.

She frowned and crossed her arms.

“Maybe your manners could still use some work. Felix, don’t you agr-”

Blake’s grin widened, and she shut herself up before she could walk into his trap. Regardless, Celia couldn’t pretend to be annoyed for more than a few seconds before lightly giggling.

“You’re a weird group of kids, you know that?” Ember asked.

“ _I’m_ 19,” Blake said. “And you can’t be that much older than us.”

Celia raised a hand.

“I turned 18 about a month ago. I’m an adult as well.”

“Seventeen here,” added Felix. “But I’m almost there.”

Ember shrugged.

“Still kids to me. When _you’re_ all 21, you’ll understand.”

Blake snorted.

“Wow, I guess you _are_ an old man.”

They all shared a chuckle. The dark tunnel led on, and the Nether’s atmosphere had gotten no less eerie, but in the company of her new allies Celia’s spirits remained high.

Luxmouth awaited.

**End of Part Two**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story has been crossposted from FanFiction. Once the next chapter is uploaded, the story will be caught up and the updates won't be nearly as frequent. I just wanted to get that out there now, as updates may take a while from here on, but I'll do my best to get new chapters out in a timely manner.
> 
> Your thoughts and feedback on the story thus far would be appreciated in the meantime- I'm always interested in learning what I'm doing well, or what could be better. For now, thank you for reading this far. There's much, much more to come, and I hope I'll continue to entertain!  
> -MM101


	13. A Fiery Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group travels through the Nether, making a fortuitous discovery along the way. Meanwhile, a higher-ranking Usurpation officer laments the current state of his hunt for the dark Bonemeal Core.

**PART THREE: STANDING TOGETHER**

**Chapter 13: A Fiery Heart**

The tunnel wasn’t ending any time soon.

Grateful as Blake was to have a shorter trip to Luxmouth, sitting in a mine cart for hours on end wasn’t exactly comfortable. He constantly fidgeted, trying to find a position that wouldn’t cramp up his legs or leave him leaning against the hard metal edge. No such luck.

“Doing okay up there?” Ember quipped.

He rolled his eyes.

“I don’t know how you deal with this.”

“Please. The Nether’s practically my second home, I could _live_ on the rails.”

“How long did it take to build these?” Celia asked. “The sheer distance is… well, daunting.”

They had to have traveled more than a thousand blocks’ worth of tracks. Blake couldn’t imagine the resources which went into such a project.

“A… while,” said Ember. “A long time without rest, I’ll say that much. I didn’t do it alone, of course, my friends helped out.”

“I’ve never seen a rail system _this_ long before. It’s impressive,” Felix remarked. He was flipping through his notebook, which reminded Blake of what he’d picked up before returning to town.

“Hey, Felix. I’ve got something for you.”

He rather awkwardly reached around Celia to hand over the black book. Raising a brow, Felix took it and perused the illegible symbols within.

“I got that from one of the Usurpers who chased us. I don’t know how it works, but I think it’s actually how they keep in touch with each other,” Blake explained.

“What makes you say that?” asked Celia.

He pointed at the most recent page, and the different handwriting styles within.

“See that? The lines were writing themselves earlier.”

Felix stared at the book, gingerly touching the back cover as if trying to feel for something.

“Hm… if I had to guess, this thing has an enchantment on it. I’m no good with magic, though, and this isn’t exactly a good place to work on reverse-engineering the spell.”

He put it away and gave Blake a nod.

“Still, thanks for this. It could come in handy.”

There was a thoughtful hum from the rear.

“Maybe Gwen would know a thing or two about it…”

Blake leaned back in the cart to get a better look at Ember.

“Gwen?”

“My boss,” he explained, “and the leader of our little gang. I can’t say for _sure_ that she’s an expert on magic, but if any of the Network will know about the book’s enchantments, it’s her. She’s got skills in every field.”

Ember blinked.

“Have you not heard of her? The Network’s not exactly popular, but _she_ definitely is.”

“Are you talking about Gwendolyn the Storm Blade?!”

The group’s wide-eyed attention fell on Felix in unison. His gaze darted between Blake and the others, and he shrank back into his cart with a light blush.

“Was that excitement?” Ember asked, raising a brow but clearly withholding a grin. “You’re right, by the way.”

“There’s a lot of stories about her in Luxmouth’s neighboring cities,” Felix mumbled. “She’s an expert mob hunter.”

Celia perked up.

“Yes, I’ve heard of her! It’s said she once killed a Wither using only a stick and an ink sac!”

Blake scratched his head, trying to envision such a feat.

“No weapons? Armor? Potions? Not even the Legendary Heroes could’ve been _that_ powerful.”

”I don’t know about that,” Ember said, “she’s strong enough to be a legend in her own right.”

Celia turned to Blake with a look of mild surprise.

“You’ve heard of the Legendary Heroes too?”

He frowned.

“Wait, you know what I’m talking about? Those two who-”

“-defeated the Ender Dragon!” she finished with him.

Felix nodded, sharing in their smile.

“I don’t think there’s anyone who _hasn’t_ heard of Steve and Alex.”

That was a relief. Despite coming from a small village in the middle of nowhere, and the years of isolation, Blake wasn’t alone in growing up with tales of the great duo. He only wished their story could’ve been chronicled better; following their victory supposedly around four hundred years prior, they seemed to disappear from history altogether.

“I bet _they_ would’ve handled the invasion,” Celia remarked.

“Yeah,” added Felix, “too bad there’s no way to bring them back from the dead- and I don’t mean how Illagers make zombies or skeletons.”

“Maybe someone _new_ will step up to save the day,” said Ember. “How about you kids? Think you could become the next Legendary Heroes?”

Blake rolled his eyes.

“Sure, when we’ve done nothing but run from the Usurpation. I think we’re _totally_ hero material.”

The railway continued, but the sense of levity remained.

 _“Wow,”_ Blake thought, _“I think I’m getting better at casual conversation. Or at least I don’t feel as stiff anymore.”_

It was a simple achievement. Regardless, he’d take what he could get.

* * *

Some time later, the tunnel emerged to a sprawling cavern which stretched further than the eye could see. Felix couldn’t help but grin at the change of scenery; the endless netherrack had long since grown monotonous. In its place, he looked upon a valley of smooth, brown sand, dotted by flickering blue fires which gave the Nether an _almost_ soothing atmosphere.

An atmosphere swiftly ruined by what came next.

“BAIL OUT!”

Blake’s shout from the front had barely been uttered before he’d _hurled_ himself from his cart. Felix looked ahead to see what he’d been so alarmed by: the tracks led directly into a particularly large patch of blue flames, and they were fast approaching the inferno.

Panicking _just a bit_ , he clambered out of his mine cart and tumbled clumsily onto the sand. He heard Celia land just ahead of him in a similarly graceless matter, while Ember was able to tuck into a roll and keep his footing, albeit shakily. The carts continued on their way, right through the flames and onto a patch of soul sand where the tracks had evidently been torn up.

“Everyone okay?” Felix asked, rubbing his side with a wince. “Lady Celia?”

“Fine,” she gasped. “What happened to the rails?”

Ember scowled.

“Someone must’ve sabotaged them. This doesn’t look like a ghast attack, there’s no blasted-out chunk in the ground.”

“Look…”

Blake rejoined them, pointing to a grisly scene on the other side of the flames.

Two dozen or so corpses were scattered across the soul sand, half of which Felix immediately recognized as Piglins. The other half, garbed in familiar thin, red armor, were humans with unusually pale skin. It only took a moment to deduce who _they_ were.

“A Usurpation squad?” he heard Ember murmur. “Here? Damn… I was hoping they wouldn’t learn about the Nether so soon. Then again, if there’s nobody left...”

Felix couldn’t believe he found comfort in such a thought, but at least they were all dead. Blake, at his right, seemed more than a little taken aback, though more so by the bodies of the bipedal swine.

“What _are_ these things…?”

“They were a tribe of Piglins, the inhabitants of the Nether,” Felix said, “and the predecessors of those zombie pig-people you mentioned.”

Celia spoke up morosely.

“Very territorial creatures, as the Usurpation seems to have learned the hard way. I can’t help but feel just a bit sorry for them… _both..._ ”

The casualties seemed to have been absolute. There were no survivors on either side.

“What could’ve caused the damage to the rails, though?” asked Ember. “Unless one of the Usurpers was using flint and steel, I don’t see how they could’ve lit the fires.”

Blake surveyed the battlefield with a furrowed brow.

“...here’s a thought. What if they had a Genesis Core too? Ray and Tara both had one, so it wouldn’t be impossible.”

Felix took out the Core Tracker, but it appeared Celia was one step ahead of him. She’d approached the body of a Usurper who lay beside another small patch of blue fire, and quietly gasped.

* * *

The crackling of flames was a calming sight most of the time, but as Celia’s gaze fixed on the blue blaze- and the unnatural purple light glowing faintly in its epicenter- her heart felt ready to burst from her chest. There was no mistaking the radiance within the fire: that light was indeed coming from a Genesis Core.

“I can’t believe it…”

Hands trembling, she drew her blade and prodded at the artifact with its flat edge, rolling it out of the flames. It came to a stop, after which the soul sand underneath began to smolder. Before another flame could ignite, Celia picked up the Genesis Core-

**_“Incredible! Do you feel the warmth here? The energy?”_ **

**_“Hm… yes, I could stand here for hours.”_ **

-and very nearly dropped it when the world blurred before her, and the two unfamiliar voices conversed. Just as quickly as it had started, it was over.

“Countess,” someone else said. “Did you just pick up, barehanded, something that looked like it was burning whatever it sat on?”

Celia hadn’t even noticed Ember looking over her shoulder for a good few seconds, so mesmerizing was the Core. When she saw the matching expressions of incredulity on him and Blake, she cringed and felt her face heat up.

“I-it’s not burning me. It’s not even hot, oddly enough.”

“Maybe they don’t affect humans passively, just the environment,” Blake suggested.

“Well, if we weren’t the Usurpation’s most wanted before,” Ember said with a sigh, “we _definitely_ are now.”

She cleared her throat, trying not to let her sudden rush of excitement show in her voice.

“We will take this back to Luxmouth. Any Genesis Core out of the Usurpation’s hands is a positive step for us, and we might even be able to start turning the war around the more we collect.”

“Makes sense. While we’re at it, you should bind it to yourself!”

Celia turned to Blake with a jolt, mouth agape.

“Are… are you sure that’s for the best…?”

“We don’t even know if they can be safely removed,” said Felix.

Blake shrugged.

“True, but it’d be harder to _lose_ at least. It’s got to be more secure than just keeping it in your inventory.”

She looked at the Genesis Core again, and felt a shiver go up her spine. He did make a fair point, and the thought of commanding its power was rather shamefully appealing. Still… she couldn’t just take it because _she_ wanted to, could she?

Celia looked at the other two members of the group.

“What say you?”

“The Usurpation’s already after us, and having more people with magic powers could make the trip easier. I say go for it,” Ember replied.

“The decision is yours, Lady Celia.”

She frowned at the second response.

“I’m asking what _you_ think, Felix.”

In the corner of her eye, she noticed Blake raise a brow. Felix scratched behind his head.

“Um… I think you should bind it too.”

Then the decision was unanimous. Celia held the Genesis Core in her palms, looking at it as she would a creeper primed to explode.

“...Blake, how did you do it?”

“By accident. I held it against my chest a little hard, and it just sort of fused into me.”

She brought it closer, but hesitated.

“And you’re sure that worked?”

“Well, either that or I’ve secretly always had bonemeal powers, and I just broke it. Go ahead and flip that coin.”

Not exactly feeling confident, Celia firmly pressed the Genesis Core against herself. She nearly jumped out of her skin when the translucent sphere melted away, the strange gas within merging into her chest.

Heat. _Unimaginable_ heat filled her senses, as if her whole body had spontaneously ignited. Yet there was no pain, and nothing on her person had actually caught fire. Quite the contrary; Celia felt incredible. She could sense all the flames of the Nether for several chunks, no matter how great or small. The sheer rush of energy was equal parts terrifying and exhilarating, and even when the sensation died down and her perception returned to normal, she felt herself panting from the overwhelming experience.

“Lady Celia…?”

Her companions had each taken a few paces back, shifting their wary gazes to one another.

“O-oh! Forgive me! I was just so caught up in the moment.”

“No kidding,” Blake said with a hesitant grin, “for a second I thought you were about to start spewing a speech about how you were the ‘master of all the flames, the strongest human alive’ or whatever.”

Celia blushed again.

“My apologies. I’m still myself, I assure you. It’s… just so much to take in. Did _you_ feel this way too, Blake?”

“I was kind of distracted by Ray and his cronies pulling swords on me,” he deadpanned. “But I _did_ feel all kinds of energy rush through me, yeah. I didn’t give an evil bonemeal wizard speech to Ray, either.”

“We can discuss this later, we should get a move on!”

Ember had returned to the rails, putting out the fires and gathering the fallen mine carts.Celia gave one last nod of assurance to Blake and Felix, then the three headed over to continue on their way. Before they could make it, however, a tromping of footsteps came from nearby. Accompanying them was a cacophony of snorts and grunts.

“The hell is that?” Blake asked.

She and Felix traded nervous looks. Ember glanced at each of them before adjusting his golden helmet.

“Make sure your boots are visible!” he hissed softly.

From around a corner of the soul sand cave marched another small band of Piglins, their beady white eyes narrow and their snouts twitching. Celia hadn’t seen one of the pig-people for herself before, and decided she would rather not see one ever again afterwards; even from a distance their burly, hulking forms and their filthy odors were supremely uninviting.

It was as the Piglins approached that Celia remembered the bodies of their brethren just behind them, and she felt her blood run cold. Had the Usurpation just posthumously framed her and her friends?!

_“Will we have to fight? Could I use my new Genesis Core against them? What if they resist fire due to living here? Could I even control it?”_

Despite her worries, the Piglins didn’t appear particularly bothered by their proximity to the corpses. Not even Blake, who’d impulsively drawn his sword and backed away as they walked over to investigate the scene, seemed to irritate them. They each simply cast a glance at the golden armor pieces Ember had provided before grunting with a short nod.

_“I remember learning they only tolerate humans wearing golden armor, but I never thought their love of the metal wouldn’t even let them see us as suspicious…”_

Regardless, she wasn’t going to complain. Based on the condition the Usurpation troopers had been left in, Celia wasn’t at all keen on picking a fight.

“Let’s go,” Ember whispered.

As the Piglins eagerly began to scavenge the battlefield for the dropped golden swords of their fallen kin, the group got back into their mine carts and continued on their way.

* * *

Blake didn’t realize his sword arm had been shaking until they were on their way down the rails again. He put away the weapon and sighed.

“So those things are the Nether’s mainstays? I don’t know how I never ran into any of them when I first came here, but I think that was for the best.”

“They respect only gold,” said Felix, rubbing his head wearily. “Anyone not wearing it is an enemy to them. You would’ve been killed.”

He shuddered.

“You deal with them every day?” he asked Ember. “Do you _always_ carry gold armor with you, then?”

“All the time. They’re pretty easy to coexist with as long as you aren’t aggressive and you don’t try to steal from them. They’ll even trade you stuff in exchange for gold ingots.”

Ember paused.

“It’s not _good_ stuff most of the time, but you can’t exactly haggle with Piglins.”

A loud _whoosh_ came from beside Blake, and a patch of soul sand ignited as they passed it by. Celia’s hand was outstretched, amazement in her eyes.

“What was that?”

“I-I threw a fireball! It just came out of my palm when I concentrated!”

Her handiwork had already moved out of view, so Blake watched her release another burst of flames into the ground.

“It’s like what ghasts can do,” he remarked.

“More like what blazes do; there was no explosion,” Ember said. “Still, that’s impressive. Just be careful with it, will you?”

Celia huffed.

“Of course. I’m not about to burn us all to ashes.”

And she didn’t. The rest of the ride continued without interruption, the group not even stopping to eat or sleep- they took turns doing both within the cramped carts. By that point, Blake had grown tired enough of the trip that even a nap against the cold metal was inviting.

The rails ended in front of a small tower made of black bricks, outside of which another person in iron armor with a golden chestplate was setting up her own tracks. She drew a sword at their approach, but eased up when Ember waved. They clambered out of the carts, and Blake rubbed his legs in an effort to restore feeling- Celia and Felix were doing the same, he noticed. Ember didn’t appear bothered at all as he strode toward his cohort, a mousy looking girl with a short blonde ponytail.

“Hey, Ava! Good to see you!”

“Hello, Jason,” she said, her attention not leaving Blake and his companions, “are these the people Evelyn left to help you with? Where’s she?”

He cringed.

“C’mon, everyone _else_ calls me Ember. Anyway…”

A short exchange followed, featuring a few names he didn’t recognize. He _could_ gather that Ava and Ember- or Jason, it seemed- were discussing the people who’d stayed behind, one of whom was Ava’s older sister.

_“Must be a pretty tight-knit group…”_

“Gwen’s given out a call,” Ava eventually said, gesturing to the cart she was setting up. “Anyone who’s available needs to regroup with her at the base. More wither skeletons showed up, apparently.”

“Again?” Ember groaned. “Man, there’s no end to them…”

He turned to the three, chewing his tongue.

“The portal’s inside the building. From there, it’s about a five-hour walk to Luxmouth. I really hate to leave you guys, but-“

“It’s okay,” Blake said. “You’ve helped us more than enough already; go give your gang some backup.”

“We can handle ourselves from here,” Celia added. “Please give Gwendolyn my thanks for your group’s assistance- and an invitation for her to visit Luxmouth, if able! We could arrange further collaboration against the Usurpers.”

Ember grinned and nodded.

“I’ll do that. There could be an easy end to the invasion after all. Take care of yourselves.”

With that, he and Ava got into another pair of carts and took off down the line. Blake was left with his new friends and the distinct whirr of a Nether portal within the brick shack.

“Well,” Celia said, “shall we be going?”

“I think I’ve spent enough time in the Nether for a while,” responded Felix.

Agreeing wholeheartedly, Blake pushed open the oaken door to see the structure had practically no space for anything _but_ the portal. He wasn’t even sure what the purpose of building it was.

Regardless, there was no point dwelling on it. He stepped into the obsidian ring and finally exited the hellscape.

* * *

“Excuse me, Marshal?”

Orion looked up from the map he’d been examining. The speaker was a young woman in a graying cloak, who’d saluted smartly after entering his tent. Her hood was down, but she wore the metal mask and green-lensed goggles customary of the Industrial Division, even indoors. He, and he imagined most of his peers in the Expansion Division, had never understood the habit.

“Dame Esme,” he replied. “What can I do for you?”

“Neither Lime Squad nor Crimson Squad have reported back yet,” she said, remaining in her salute. “It seems Sir Ray and Dame Tara have surpassed the expected window of their return.”

He raised a brow.

“Nobody in the camp has been able to get a hold of them?”

“No, Marshal. We have also lost contact with Sir Merric and Ruby Squad.”

Orion resisted the urge to sigh. Three Knights and three Genesis Cores, unaccounted for. And the Bonemeal Core the collaborative force had been assigned to retrieve could have easily slipped through their fingers as such.

“It’s possible they ran afoul of the local monsters,” Esme suggested, “we’ve had other groups report difficulties in handling them.”

“I warned everyone not to become overconfident,” he grumbled.

He drummed his fingers on the table for a moment, looking at the map but not really paying attention to it.

“We’ll wait two more days,” Orion said at last. “If none of the scouting teams return by then, we’ll cut our losses and fall back. Dame Tara hasn’t let me down before- she’ll return soon enough, I’m sure of it.”

The cringe which passed over Esme didn’t escape his notice, but he said nothing of it. She simply saluted again and walked out of the tent, leaving him alone in the semidarkness.

Alone, sans the oppressive thought of what he’d have to say to Commandant Red if their operation turned out to be a complete failure.


	14. Allied Territory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After many hardships, the group has finally reached the home stretch to Luxmouth.

**Chapter 14: Allied Territory**

The Nether portal had deposited Celia and her companions in a cramped, stuffy cave with a ladder leading up a dirt shaft. Climbing to the surface brought them to a lovely plains biome, lush with flowers and overseen by a bright midday sun. Ember hadn't specified which _direction_ Luxmouth was five hours away in, but there was no need.

Flowing nearby, as rapid and beautiful as ever, was the city's namesake: the River Lux. The sunlight gleamed amidst the rolling waters, reflections dancing with the current on the river bed. It was a display which had never failed to dazzle Celia- especially not then, after the recent hardships.

 _"But this is no time to be taking in the scenery_ ," she'd told herself after emerging from the Nether at last. _"People are suffering far more than us at this very moment. We need to go."_

And so the trio had set off, following the southwestern flow of the river toward where it met the ocean- and where their destination was built. They traveled in relative silence for a while, until Blake spoke up with a sheepish remark.

"Uh… you know, we're all a little filthy. Is there anywhere we can clean up a bit?"

Celia giggled.

"You could jump into the river. It's quite… well, no, it's not warm at all. Otherwise I might have suggested we take our places amongst the salmon and ride the current to the city."

"Would that _work?"_ Blake asked, now looking rather intently at the water.

"N-no, that was a joke," she blurted out. "Don't overthink the possibility; we'd likely drown in the rapids. It's much calmer where it flows through Luxmouth, however."

"…oh. Heh, I guess you're right."

"Some mobs have figured out how to avoid being swept away all the time," Felix added. "Take a look at that."

He pointed toward the opposite side of the river, where a squid appeared to be clinging to the bed with its tentacles, digging into the silt to keep it steady.

"I've even seen some squids crawl along the bottom like watery spiders," Felix continued.

Blake shivered and grimaced, a reaction which made Celia pause in her step.

" _Please_ never give me that image again," he groaned.

"Do you have a problem with spiders?"

He didn't look Celia in the eye, though she didn't get the sense it was out of annoyance- rather, a slight flush had appeared on his cheeks.

"They freak me out a little. Too many legs…"

"What about creepers?" she asked as they kept moving.

Blake scratched his head.

"I wouldn't say I'm _afraid_ of them. Definitely don't want 'em getting anywhere near me, though."

"After you've worked in construction long enough, you'll start to be more worried for your _building_ than yourself," Felix said.

Celia smiled. When they had snuck out of Luxmouth, they came across several hostile mobs on their way to a shore to less conspicuously row out from. Among them had been creepers, the explosive menaces known and feared the world over. Yet while Celia had rarely seen them in person- and thus found them utterly terrifying- Felix's reactions were more akin to weary annoyance. It intrigued her; he seemed more afraid of the far less powerful zombies.

"I'm no good when it comes to designing things," Blake replied, "or at least not aesthetically. Then again, I don't think it really matters. Function over form, you know?"

"Really? But what's the point of building something if it isn't going to look presentable?"

"The Usurpation's equipment isn't exactly spotless," Celia pointed out. "They had crude armor and weapons, and they were covered by little more than ragged cloaks."

Her attention went to her dress. The many scrapes and cuts she'd suffered from the battle had healed, as had the arrow wound, but she could still vividly recall the pain she'd felt. Innumerable rips in the fabric, as well as several areas stained dark red, served to remind her of just how narrow the escape had been.

Blake spoke up again.

"Actually, I've been meaning to ask about that. You guys said the Usurpers were unstoppable when they first showed up, right?"

"It seemed so," Felix said, his tone grim. "They conquered tons of small villages, and day by day their forces are said to be building up more weapons. Soon, they might be strong enough to take on the larger cities in this region."

There was a puzzled furrow in Blake's brow.

"That doesn't add up, though. I know we barely got away from those two squads, but there was something about 'em that seemed weird. While I was fighting Ray in the village, I noticed his swordplay was… well, pretty mediocre. If he didn't have his grass powers to try and trip me up at every step, I probably could've taken him easily. His goons weren't all that impressive, either."

Celia raised a brow of her own.

"I'm not sure I follow your point."

"What I'm saying is, they didn't seem like 'soldier' material to me. They were closer to bandits. Maybe they could terrorize defenseless villagers easily enough, but when it came to taking _us_ down, they had a much harder time. And _we_ aren't exactly soldiers either."

She was taken aback- such a thought hadn't even crossed her mind. Could the panicked reports from escapees of the conquered towns really have exaggerated the threat? The Usurpation had _swept_ over much of the territories to the north; did the initial surprise simply make them appear more organized than they really were?

The notion, which might have inspired some small amount of confidence, was ruined a moment later when Felix put forth a much more ominous suggestion.

"Ray and Tara could just be low-ranking members on a scouting mission, and the _real_ strength of the army might not have spread that far out yet."

A grim quiet loomed in spite of the river's ambience. With unknown origins, numbers, and motives, the Usurpation's true scope seemed all but intangible- and there was no telling how much more Celia and the people of Luxmouth would have to endure until the invasion was quelled.

* * *

Blake wasn't sure if he should have tried to start up another conversation as they carried on in uneasy silence, but he couldn't seem to work up the energy to say anything regardless. It was really starting to sink in just how out of his element he was; following a noble from across the ocean in her efforts to thwart an _army_ that would likely want him dead, all because he stumbled across some magical crystal ball.

_"And I don't even know anything about the Usurpation OR the Genesis Cores. What place do I have in all this?"_

It seemed only time would tell whether he found himself regretting the decision to leave home. For the moment, at least until the Bonemeal Core was safe within the city confines, he was just along for the ride.

Celia suddenly gave a delighted cheer, snapping him out of his introspection. She was pointing into the distance, where Blake could see a wide stone wall stretching across the land, dotted with small gates both on the ground and over the river. Behind it, a very large, very _wide_ mass of more intricate buildings was visible. He hadn't even fully registered the sight before he found himself running along the River Lux's banks with his two companions, a tremendous weight seemingly lifted from their shoulders.

"Luxmouth! We're home!" Celia was laughing.

"I-I can't believe we really did it," Felix kept repeating to himself, sounding the happiest he had since Blake first met him.

_"Wait, we've only known each other for… a few days… it feels like it's been weeks already!"_

Whatever the case, he allowed himself to share in the delight of his new friends. Their perseverance had paid off.

Of course, he wasn't _so_ elated as to not notice the trampling of hooves bearing down on them from behind.

"Guys! We have company!"

Vague as the alert was, it got Celia and Felix to stop with him. They were approached by a group of iron-clad knights on horseback, each wielding a sword and shield. Blake's hand instinctively grasped for the stolen Usurpation blade, but these people were clearly not Usurpers themselves, so he didn't draw it quite yet. They looked more confused than hostile, at any rate. Their shields were all emblazoned with a white and gold emblem of a sun over flowing water.

_"Guess it makes sense. We probably look like lost street rats."_

He didn't want to consider what they must have smelled like.

"Are you three okay?" the man at the front asked. "You look like you've seen better days. Need a lift back into town?"

"Thank goodness," Celia exhaled, strolling toward his horse with a wide grin. "We need to return to Luxmouth's inner district."

The knights muttered to each other, but went quiet when their captain put up a hand. He had an odd frown, and his eyes widened.

"Wait… you're…"

"Countess Celia Lumis, yes! I know I must appear _most_ unkempt, but I assure you-"

She'd barely gotten through her sentence before the knight captain had swept his horse between Celia and him and Felix, while his troops surrounded the pair of them with their swords gripped tight.

"What happened, Lady Celia? Are you hurt? Are _they_ responsible?!"

Though Blake was on the verge of panicking, his hands raised, he noticed Felix's shoulders slumping in a way he could only describe as resignedly frustrated.

"I-it's nothing like that!" Celia was blurting out. "They're with me, I swear!"

The knights backed off very slightly, looking to her and to the captain.

"When you disappeared, the Duke put out an alert. He feared you'd been kidnapped, but the Usurpation never set up a ransom for your return."

 _"That definitely crossed their minds, though,"_ Blake thought, recalling their encounter with Ray.

Celia flinched, trying to step around to rejoin them.

"I understand. I must have caused quite an uproar, and I will accept the consequences."

When the knight captain finally conceded to letting her out from behind him, she pointed at Blake and Felix.

"But! These two are not to blame. It was my idea to leave; they have been nothing but helpful to me."

"Wait a second," another of the soldiers said, nodding toward Felix, "I recognize this one. You're Emily Silverhand's brother, aren't you?"

This drew more surprised chatter. Blake, feeling more out of his depth than ever, looked from his companions to the knights and back.

"Uh… t-that's right," Felix replied. "I accompanied Lady Celia out of the city…"

The captain raised a brow, but didn't question him further. No, his attention fell to Blake instead.

"Alright. And who are you?"

"I'm new. Um, I mean I'm new _here._ I met the P- _Countess_ when she was away, and we helped each other out. I'm Blake… and I don't have two names, sir… captain… knight…?"

Everyone's eyes were on him. He prayed for the ground to open up and swallow him whole.

"At any rate," Celia chimed in, coming to his rescue, "would you be able to bring us back into the city? I have much to discuss with the Duke."

"O-of course, Your Highness! It would be an honor."

With that- and no further input from Blake- the three of them were brought onto the knights' horses and carried toward the outer wall.

They were close enough for a bustling crowd to be visible, lined up in a moderately orderly fashion outside the cobblestone barrier- about twenty blocks high. Several guards patrolled a walkway at the top, monitoring the mass of incoming travelers while others dealt with them personally on the ground. Gates of pistons and iron bars opened along the wall to let in clusters of people at a time.

There _did_ seem to be a selection process, however. When they reached one of the less crowded gates, Blake saw guards questioning the incoming people and handing out buckets of milk. Only after they drank the milk were the travelers permitted to join the next wave of entries.

_"Wonder what that's about…"_

Their escort went around the crowd and came to a stop at the gate, where two soldiers approached with more milk.

"Forgive us, Countess," said the captain, "but we must follow protocol."

Celia nodded.

"I understand. Blake, please take a drink."

He didn't argue, but couldn't resist raising a brow as he complied. Felix, Celia, and the knights they rode with all followed suit. Afterwards, the gate was opened and they continued through.

"Is this some tradition I don't know about? There something special about your cows here?"

That earned him more puzzled stares.

"It's a precaution against a bad omen," Felix explained. "Like any other condition such as poison, milk can cure it."

"We wouldn't want a traveler to enter the walls and bring an Illager raid with them, would we?" added Celia.

"Huh. Pretty smart, actually."

He couldn't believe he was thinking it, but the raid's arrival with Ray really had saved them. Blake didn't have to ponder whether he owed his life to Illagers for long, however; the sight of the _gorgeous_ cityscape coming into view had his full attention once they'd cleared the stone gates of the outer wall. Celia had spoken highly of it on the voyage back, and for all her flair for the dramatic, Blake couldn't deny she hadn't undersold her home's beauty.

Even the outskirts they passed through first were more impressive than anything he'd ever seen. The buildings were consistent with typical village architecture, all cobblestone and wooden planks, yet arranged with a greater sense of organization that even Blake could appreciate. It was nothing like the rather jumbled mess of houses placed haphazardly about back home, and just being in the midst of the orderly little place instilled a sense of awe as they continued their gallop alongside the River Lux. Villagers and humans alike watched them pass by with interest from their homes, their planters, or the small bridges extending over the water. More mounted knights were patrolling the area, alongside iron golems and even tamed wolves. And the further they went, the louder the roar of dozens upon dozens of voices became.

_"To think this is the LEAST high-class this place gets…!"_

"Impressed?" Celia giggled.

" _Very._ Did your family design all this, Felix?"

"We're architects, not street planners. Making a building that matches the aesthetics of the surroundings is one thing; _this_ takes a whole other skill set."

"You'll have to show me some of your work sometime," Blake said with a smile. "Once we're done with the important business, anyway."

Felix could only reply with an embarrassed grin.

Beyond the outer district, they crossed another gated wall- this one built with stone bricks- and found themselves in Luxmouth proper.

Celia had mentioned the city contained over a thousand residents, but it hadn't quite occurred to Blake just how _many_ people that was until he saw it for himself.

Villagers, as far as the eye could see.

Traveling merchants hawking their wares, guiding llamas behind them on tethers.

Human citizens just like him, looking no more out of place than trees in a forest.

Iron golems keeping watchful eyes over the bustling streets, occasionally offering flowers to passersby.

Armored guards on patrol, all bearing the same crests as on their knight escorts' shields.

"I don't think I could've ever imagined there were this many people in the world…!"

"Never a dull moment around here," Celia quipped.

"Make way! Make way for the Countess!"

The captain's shout caused a stir, and the crowd ahead of them rapidly parted in the street. Blake, truthfully, wouldn't have minded the trip taking longer; he was trying to take in about a thousand sights at once.

As varied as the residents were, the locales were even more so. He didn't even know what most of the buildings he could see _were_ , but he recognized enough shops and workplaces to know that he wanted to just wander the streets for hours to experience everything. The buildings were the tallest he'd ever seen, made of all sorts of materials- some of which Blake couldn't even identify. His nose twitched at the smell of seawater, and he realized the River Lux had to lead somewhere.

"This is a seaside city?"

"With a _lovely_ view from the port," added Felix. "My sister helped build some observation decks."

"I'll admit it," Blake said, "this is the best place I've ever seen."

But the best was yet to come. Ahead of them, gleaming in the sunlight like the river itself, stood a marble-white building which had to have been larger than his whole village.

"Celia. Don't tell me that's where you _live!_ "

Surprisingly, he saw the hint of a blush on her cheeks.

"I've always thought it was a bit much… but, yes, this is the palace of House Lumis."

The streets were clearer of pedestrians as they approached, but even more soldiers stood nearby. Celia's presence hadn't gone unnoticed; Blake could see them all looking their way and calling to one another. An iron gate was opened to allow them into a courtyard full of flowers and neatly trimmed shrubs on either side of the path, and on their way to the front entrance they were flanked by guards standing at attention.

_"Talk about a royal welcome…"_

They were finally allowed off the horses, with only Celia making a graceful dismount- Felix stumbled, while Blake fell to the ground with a grunt. He'd only been in front of the palace for less than a minute before making a fool of himself.

"Celia."

A man much older-looking than any of them had emerged from the iron front doors, surrounded by guards clad in diamond armor that shimmered purple. He himself wore a white robe decorated with small gold trimmings, and the same sun-and-river emblem embroidered on the front. The family resemblance couldn't be more apparent: he had Celia's fair skin and brown eyes, and though his hair was graying it had undeniably once been as red as hers. Out of the corner of his eye, Blake saw Felix drop to one knee with his head bowed and hurriedly did the same.

"Father," Celia replied. "I… I'm home..."

The Duke was silent. Blake dared to look up and saw the man's eyes scan across the three of them as slowly as seemed possible until they settled on him, to which the man frowned. He dropped his gaze like a stone, praying he hadn't come across as offensive.

"Come inside," he said, not a hint of emotion in his voice. "You all have some explaining to do."


	15. Progress Report

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blake, Celia, and Felix describe their journey to Duke Xavier. Meanwhile, Ray and Tara deliver a report of their own to their superior.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!

**Chapter 15: Progress Report**

The walk through the palace occurred in silence, but that didn’t stop Blake from stealing glances every which way as they and Duke Xavier were escorted by the guards. Luxmouth Palace’s interior was just as beautiful as its exterior, more ornately decorated than he even thought possible; the tapestries, paintings, and statues adorning the marble-white halls were awe-inspiring. This was a place rich in lore and history, and he suspected he could spend a lifetime learning about it and still not knowing everything.

_“My friends and I always talked about exploring far-off lands like this… can’t believe I’m really here, though. If there weren’t an invasion to worry about, I’d call this whole trip an adventure.”_

There was the reality check he needed. No more sightseeing for him, at least not until whatever official business he had here was done. Blake fought down his curiosity and stared straight ahead as they walked.

Felix, he noticed, appeared to have no problem with doing the same. His lack of enthusiasm didn’t seem to be due to familiarity- rather, he looked more like he’d already accepted a sentence to several months in a cell for helping Celia escape. Walking at the front, just behind her father, the Countess herself could only stare at the floor. Occasionally she would lift her head as if working up the nerve to say something, but no words ever came.

“I would like to speak with them privately,” the Duke said to the guards when they finally reached the throne room.

The doors were opened to the chamber. Blake squinted at the sunlight streaming through the orange, yellow, and white stained-glass window in the ceiling, a design portraying the sun-and-river emblem of Luxmouth. On either side of the room, water gently flowed from fountains in the walls into small pools. And at the center, raised by a dias of carved quartz, two oaken thrones stood side-by-side.

But they didn’t move very far into the room. No sooner had the doors shut behind the four of them before Duke Xavier rounded on Celia and pulled her into a hug. Though Felix tried to stifle it, Blake heard him let out a breath he’d sucked in just before entering.

“When you disappeared, I thought… we _all_ thought…”

“I’m so sorry, Father!” Celia replied, her voice shaky as she clung to him. “I’m sorry I worried you!”

“What _happened?_ Where have you _been?_ ”

“There’s so much I want to tell you…”

The pair finally separated, with Celia gesturing to him and Felix.

“But before that, you should know I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for their help.”

Duke Xavier’s eyes landed on Felix first.

“Your family claims you went missing at the same time. Did you leave with her?”

“I did, My Lord. We snuck out of the city together.”

“It was my idea,” Celia added abruptly, “and taking the Genesis Core tracker was also my fault. I’ll accept any consequences.”

Somewhere inside Blake, the respect he’d been building for her raised by another tick.

The Duke didn’t say anything, though Blake suspected he’d have more to say about the theft to her later. For the time being, he himself was now under scrutiny.

“And you are?”

He stood rigid, hoping he could appear to be at attention.

“Uh… I’m Blake, Sir. I ran into your dau- the Countess and Felix while the Usurpation were after me, Sir. We all worked together to escape them, Sir- My Lord-”

Duke Xavier’s expression was unreadable, while Celia and Felix were both trying not to grin. His face heated up; how was he _supposed_ to address someone so important?

“Seems you’ve all had quite the adventure. Please, tell me what happened.”

As Celia began to recount her side of their travels, a worry crossed Blake’s mind.

_“The minute the Usurpation realizes there are three Genesis Cores here now… Luxmouth will be irresistible.”_

* * *

Several guards were already waiting at the shore’s edge by the time Crimson Squad’s carrier made its approach. Ray, leaning against the rail, made a halfhearted wave at them which got no reaction. He could feel Tara’s gaze burning against the back of his head- she’d alerted their compatriots of their return once they had come into range of her communicator’s enchantment, no doubt including a warning for them not to expect any other members of Lime Squad.

_“At least we're back in friendly territory…”_

Orion Outpost was situated very far southeast from the village they’d escaped, on a larger island which had been cleared of its forest. Named for the Usurpation Marshal overseeing it, the encampment served as a temporary scouting base for the Expansion Division, of which Marshal Orion himself was an officer. Tara and Crimson Squad, as fellow members of the Expansion Division, operated directly under his command in addition to Ruby Squad, led by a knight named Merric. Ray didn’t know the man well; he and Lime Squad had only just arrived before being assigned to track down the dark Bonemeal Core.

 _“I’m not seeing any Expansion troopers here,”_ he thought as he surveyed the Usurpers observing their approach. _“Wherever Sir Merric is, I hope he’s having better luck than us.”_

The smattering of guards were identifiable as agents from the Industrial Division by their masks, much like his own. More specifically, they were members of Jade Squad, the team he’d been assigned to the outpost with. Its leader, Dame Esme, was among those watching their carrier trundle to a halt.

_“Here we go…”_

Tara and her three surviving troopers disembarked first, keeping a brisk pace toward the Marshal’s tent without so much as a word to anyone else. Though Ray was behind her, he got the distinct impression that even in failure Tara was looking down her nose at the others.

“What happened?”

Esme’s voice was gentle- a far cry from the icy silence he’d endured on the ride back. Ray coughed, trying to find his voice again after not speaking for the past day as they walked between gray tents and chests of supplies. Tara’s troopers separated from her at some point, dismissed by a brusque wave of the hand, and joined several Jade Squad agents around a campfire.

“We messed up, Esme. _I_ messed up. The operation was a failure.”

“And Lime Squad…”

Her mask covered most of her face, but he could see worry through the lenses of her goggles.

“Gone. Because of me.”

Ray watched Tara pause in front of Orion’s tent, shooting him a stony-faced look before disappearing inside.

“I’m sure it wasn’t all your fault,” Esme said, an edge in her voice as she looked back at Tara.

Though he doubted it, he sighed and nodded.

“Thanks. Where’s Sir Merric?”

She flinched.

“Ruby Squad is missing. We would have left the camp behind soon if none of you had returned.”

More wonderful news. Ray followed Tara into the tent, hoping to just get chewed out, suffer a demotion, and be done with it.

Marshal Orion was a tall man, nearly half a head more so than Ray. His complexion was darker than most Usurpers, but certainly nothing akin to the average Inlander. Like much of the Expansion Division, he wore a patchy black robe over his red plate armor. Disheveled as his garb was, his head and face were cleanly shaven. Ray stood at attention beside Tara while Orion stepped away from the desk and map he’d been hunched over. He looked at them with a frown.

“Welcome back. Your vibrant expressions fill me with confidence.”

Ray winced.

“We could not obtain the Bonemeal Core, Sir,” Tara began. “Most of our forces… were lost in the process. A trio of wretched Inlanders-”

“Stop.”

Orion was rubbing his forehead in exasperation.

“Not so dramatic, Dame Tara. Just tell me everything.”

“If I may, I think it would be better if I started first,” Ray said. “I encountered the, ah, trio of Inlanders before Dame Tara did.”

The Marshal raised a brow.

“Is that right? Very well, then. Proceed.”

Resigned to whatever his fate would be, Ray began to explain.

* * *

Celia handled most of the story, not that Blake minded- he still wasn’t quite sure how not to sound like an idiot in front of her father. Felix only chimed in to elaborate on how they’d escaped Luxmouth unnoticed. It was apparently quite simple: Celia had tunneled through the floor of her bedroom in the dead of night and dug a narrow trench under the palace before surfacing in the storeroom where the Genesis Core tracker was held. She’d stolen it and went back to digging, this time below the streets, until she arrived at the city’s western shore, having arranged to meet with Felix there. He had boats and some supplies for the journey prepared by the time she arrived, and just like that they’d set off together.

“Is _that_ why you’d spent the day prior slowly roaming about the halls?” the Duke asked, a ghost of a smile on his face. “You were planning out how far you’d have to dig?”

Celia hung her head.

“Oh… I was hoping you wouldn’t notice that.”

“I wouldn’t be much of a leader if I didn’t take notice of what the people around me were doing. Or, in your case, much of a father.”

He didn’t look pleased to learn how she’d snuck out, but Blake couldn’t hear any kind of anger in the Duke’s voice. His gaze shifted to Felix.

“Though, I am not without error to that end. My daughter left behind a note stating her intentions,” Xavier remarked, “but I’ll admit I didn’t seriously consider it. With the disappearance of the map, I figured the Usurpation had infiltrated the city, and you’d both been kidnapped- for ransom, or for information. You can’t imagine how worried we all were.”

Blake’s companions cringed in unison. The Duke continued.

“You covered your tracks quite well, though. When I established the search parties, the most we could find other than Celia’s letter was a pile of stray dirt and sand blocks on the beach. Although this was a _grievous_ breach of security, I’d say you both pulled it off impressively, and you taught me how we can better fortify Luxmouth.”

“Thank… you, My Lord...?” Felix replied.

“I must ask, though. How did you know to travel westward? Surely the map couldn’t track a Genesis Core from _that_ far. And why did you not ask for an escort if you were so determined?”

This time, as Celia answered, her cheeks grew redder by the second.

“...do you remember when the Usurpation squad we captured was brought before you? The leader offhandedly mentioned they were planning to head further west after stealing our Bonemeal Core- she said she knew another one was out that way.”

Blake resisted the urge to facepalm. _That_ was the basis of her search?

“Between fighting off mobs and Illagers, and aiding our neighbors against the Usurpation,” she continued, “our militia is spread thin already. I knew we couldn’t afford to divert a large force to search for a Genesis Core on a whim, so I decided to look for it personally. I brought Felix with me because he was the most reliable person I could think of.”

Xavier nodded.

“Technically, the both of you should be in serious trouble for your little excursion. But given the trying times of late, and your apparent success, I’m willing to look the other way just this once. Now… I suppose that brings us to you, young man- Blake, was it? What part have you played in all this?”

His explanation was shorter and simpler. He recounted how he’d found the purple Bonemeal Core and escaped the two squads alongside Celia and Felix, his lack of decorum of seemingly little importance to the Duke- perhaps the story was all he cared about at the moment.

“I see,” he hummed once Blake was done. “Well, on behalf of all of Luxmouth, thank you for helping the Countess and Felix return home safely.”

“We had to work together. I couldn’t have gotten past the Usurpation without them.”

“So it would seem. Now, as… _interesting_ as your story has been, I believe there are more pressing matters at hand. Do you still have the two Genesis Cores you found?”

Blake nodded, pointing at his chest.

“That’s right. It’s, uh, inside me. Cel- the Countess has the one which makes fire.”

“Is there a way to safely remove them?” Celia asked.

Xavier stood from his throne and strode for the door.

“There is. Please wait here a moment, I will return shortly.”

He exited, leaving the three of them alone again. They looked at each other with mixed relief and confusion.

“I… guess it all turned out okay,” Felix said. “He’s even letting us both off the hook for sneaking out.”

Celia gave a huff of laughter.

“I suppose so. Good work, team!”

Blake rolled his eyes, but couldn’t help but grin.

_“Team…”_

He liked the sound of that.

* * *

By the time Ray finished explaining their disastrous mission, he noted Orion didn’t look nearly as disappointed or angered as he’d anticipated.

“Do the two of you at least still have your Cores?”

“Yes, sir,” said Tara. “The Inlanders escaped with the dark Bonemeal Core, but we haven’t lost ours.”

The Marshal nodded.

“The loss of so many Usurpers is unfortunate. You both have my condolences.”

Ray could only murmur a “thank you.”

“But,” Orion continued, “their deaths don’t need to have been in vain. I’m very curious about this ‘raid’ you described. You say it consisted of the large-nosed Inlanders, but with ashy complexions?”

“That’s right,” Ray confirmed. “One of them said they’d tracked me down after I killed their patrol.”

“How interesting. Follow me.”

The Marshal stepped out of the tent. Ray glanced at Tara, but she didn’t bother making eye contact with him before heading out. Wondering what was to come, he trailed behind the two.

“Just yesterday, we caught five Inlanders of a similar description prowling near our camp. Only one managed to be brought in alive: their leader, by the looks of it.”

Orion led them to another tent where two Jade Squad agents stood guard over a bound prisoner. Sure enough, it was a creature identical to the crossbow-wielding raiders they’d faced. A banner like that held by the scout Ray had killed was resting at his feet.

“My friends here say your kind ambushed them recently,” the Marshal said to him. “They tell me you Inlanders are able to track people.”

“Inlander this, Inlander that,” the raider chortled. “We’re called Illagers, you know. What kind of podunk hole did you drag yourselves out of, if you don’t even know _that?_ ”

Tara frowned.

“You all call yourselves Illagers?”

“Just ‘my kind,’ as you put it. The pacifist fools who place their trust in you humans are called villagers.”

He giggled again.

“And as long as I’m at it, we who use crossbows specifically are pillagers. Fun, isn’t it?”

“Very cute,” Orion deadpanned.

“You _are_ humans, aren’t you?” the Illager asked, peering at them. “We haven’t seen people like you before. So, which of you unlucky saps found himself on the wrong end of a bad omen?”

Ray put up a hand.

“That’d be me. A group of your kind tried to attack me, and I wiped them out. A few days afterwards, a much larger force arrived. Will this keep happening?”

The Illager giggled to himself again.

“Sadly, no. Bad omens are only good for one raid whenever you kill one of our patrol captains. And the raids don’t show up at random- once you enter a town where those peaceful slackers live, _that’s_ when we strike.

Orion gasped, to Ray’s alarm.

“You mean… if we kill _you_ , can’t visit any villages without a raid appearing? We won’t get to enter without sparking an invasion?”

His voice was laden with despair, to Ray’s further surprise. Was he hoping to return to one of the conquered Inlander towns, instead of the new Usurpation cities being established in their wake? What did he care?

The Illager, meanwhile, couldn’t get enough of his anguish. His stifled cackling erupted into a full-on roar, eyes squeezed shut and even tearing up a bit.

“Yep! Now you get it! No trading, no mingling with the townsfolk, NOTHING! Unless you suckers want to put yourselves in voluntary exile, you’d better just let me go! Aha! Ahahahaha! HAHAHA-”

Then his eyes were as wide open as could be, shakily looking down at the open wound in his chest. Orion, now very calm and quiet, wiped off his blade on the banner.

“Thank you for cooperating, Inlander,” he said while sheathing his sword. “You’ve been very helpful.”

He exited the tent, Tara close behind. Ray spared a glance at the dying Illager before following them.

“Marshal?”

Esme approached, a sense of urgency in her step.

“Trooper Ruby-13 just arrived at camp. He is injured, but alive. My agents are tending to him now.”

“What of Sir Merric?”

There was a pause.

“He says… Sir Merric and the rest of Ruby Squad have fallen. He won’t stop rambling about a place filled with fire and enormous man-pigs, wearing golden armor.”

Ray blinked. What did any of that even mean?

Despite the grave news, Orion didn’t lose the newfound focus in his visage.

“I will speak to him later, once he’s made a full recovery. In the meantime, I am not to be disturbed.”

“Marshal… what are you thinking of?” Tara asked, looking for a split second like she was at a loss for words. Her impassive mask returned when she noticed Ray watching her.

He paused en-route to his tent, his eyes passing over the three Usurper Knights.

“Get some rest, Dame Tara. You and Sir Ray have been through much recently. I have some planning to do right now… because I’ve just had an idea which Commandant Red might appreciate. Dismissed.”

With that, Orion continued on his way, leaving Ray and his fellow officers with nothing but questions.

 _“I don’t know what’s on his mind,”_ he thought, _“but if he thinks one of the three Commandants should hear about it, it must be something big. Some new plan to turn the tables…”_

He liked the sound of that.


	16. Winding Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the hunt for the dark Bonemeal Core having failed, the Usurpation begins to plan its next move. Blake, Celia, and Felix, now safe in Luxmouth, go their separate ways with their journey complete.

**Chapter 16: Winding Down**

The throne room's doors swung open, and Duke Xavier entered with a small posse of assorted people. Guards and servants followed him, of course, but he was also accompanied by two hooded men wearing gold-colored robes that nearly reached the floor. Each of them held an object Blake had never seen. The first resembled a shrunken-down dispenser, but instead of a hatch to load items and a chute to eject them, the contraption only featured a circular groove in one side of its gray stone casing and a switch in the other. The second was a white box with a thin, snaking gap along its center, suggesting the top and bottom halves could separate. Blake's pulse quickened when he noticed a faint yellow light shining through the gap.

"Is that a shulker box?" Felix asked, pointing to the white object. "I've never seen one in person."

"They're quite rare, but we have a few in storage," Xavier replied.

"What's that?" Blake asked, his curiosity piqued.

Celia was the first to answer.

"Shulker boxes come from the End. They're like chests, but they can be carried around without removing their contents. Very useful- and, indeed, very rare."

"Really? The _End?_ "

"Our trade connections go quite far," Celia remarked, beaming. "Though it does seem outlandish enough to be a Usurpation tool, doesn't it?"

Blake could only nod, still dumbfounded by the otherworldly contraption. He'd heard stories of the fantastical things to be found in the End, but had never worked up the nerve to so much as approach an Enderman, let alone seek out the Strongholds leading to their home dimension- for every tale of the End's otherworldly landscape, ripe for exploration, there was another of some unlucky traveler attracting its denizens' ire and meeting a brutal fate.

 _"This_ device is of Usurpation make," the hooded man with the dispenser-looking item said. "It was confiscated from the soldiers who infiltrated Luxmouth. According to their leader, it is meant to safely extract Genesis Cores from those they are bound to."

 _"_ _I wonder if Ray had one of those_ ," Blake thought. _"Was trying to kill me really necessary?"_

"We can remove the Cores from you both, but first we'd like to test something," explained the Duke.

The man with the shulker box set it down and removed the lid. Yellow light shone from within, but the brightness couldn't deter the many enamored eyes; the golden Bonemeal Core's allure was too strong. It sat alone within the box, gleaming like a miniature sun.

"Do either of you feel anything different?" the hooded man asked him and Celia.

Blake was certainly filled with wonder and intrigue, but there wasn't any pull toward his Core's twin, or away from it for that matter. No newfound power or sense of a hidden potential sprang forth within him. There was just a hint of resonating energy in his chest, one which wasn't even new by then.

"I think the Bonemeal Core I have sort of 'knows' that the other one's here. It's giving off a kind of tingle inside me. But that's happened before; I could feel it when we met those two Usurpation captains, and I _still_ feel it from the Fire Core that Ce- the Countess has."

"I don't know if it's because I'm less accustomed," Celia added, "but I'm feeling something more than just that. It's as if… the Fire Core is familiar with it. What if I try binding the Bonemeal Core to myself as well?"

The Duke shook his head.

"If binding just one of them was as overwhelming as you said it was, we should not risk two until we can study them further. In the meantime, it would be best if we remove them now for safekeeping."

Celia looked a bit disappointed, but didn't object. Blake, recalling the last time he'd refused to give up a Genesis Core when asked, decided it would be best to comply.

One of the hooded men approached him first, pointing the groove of the Usurpation gadget at him and flipping the switch. A chime rang from it, and a purple icon of a sphere lit up on its top. Blake couldn't help but squint and look away as the foggy gas which had entered his body beneath the giant tree reappeared, drifting away from his chest and collecting in the hollow of the device. A few seconds later, the glassy shell had reformed, and the purple Bonemeal Core was held in the groove, its gentle glow returning.

"How do you feel? Does anything hurt?" Celia asked him.

He checked himself over. His clothes were still a mess- their urgent business hadn't permitted time for any of the trio to clean themselves up- but he didn't think he'd been wounded by the extraction.

"Nope, I think I'm completely fine. Didn't hurt at all."

That was partially a lie. Losing the Bonemeal Core hadn't harmed him physically, but parting with the first thing he'd discovered on his new journey came with a strong melancholic tinge.

_"It's for the best. They'll keep it safer than I can."_

The Core was placed into the shulker box alongside its yellow twin, where their radiant glows reflected off one another's surface. As the man turned to remove Celia's, though, Blake considered the hollowness in his chest- one which definitely had nothing to do with the artifact's absence.

_"_ _Magic treasure or not, it's just an item I've had for a few days. So why do I feel so… sad, all of a sudden? I'm not THAT attached to it, am I?"_

"What happens now?" asked Celia once the man had extracted her Core.

"You've returned at a most opportune time," said her father. "Soon, we will be hosting representatives from our neighbors to discuss the war effort going forward. It's become clear we cannot win unless we stand together, and while the Usurpation has cut off our contacts in many other city-states, we can still reach _some_ of our longtime allies. I'd like you to be at the meeting with me- your firsthand experience with our enemies could prove useful."

Felix approached one of the hooded men, offering them the black book.

"We believe the Usurpation are using enchanted books like these to communicate at short ranges," he said. "If you can translate their written language, or figure out the spells used, it might give us an edge."

Blake followed his example and presented Ray's sword.

"I stole this from one of their squad leaders. I doubt it's as useful as the books, but they seem to have a different crafting system than us. Maybe this'll help you understand how it works."

One of the gold-robed men accepted both items with a quiet "thank you."

"The both of you will be well compensated for your efforts," Duke Xavier said. His eyes briefly flickered to Felix, and a grin tugged at the corners of his mouth. "Transgressions aside."

Though his face reddened, Felix bowed. Blake mimicked him again. While accepting a reward for just running for his life alongside the Countess and accidentally finding a Genesis Core felt odd, he wouldn't turn it down- he wasn't exactly loaded on supplies.

"For now, you all could use some freshening up. The palace staff will show you to the washrooms," Xavier continued, mostly to him and Felix. "You can expect your rewards before you leave."

A pair of guards formed up beside Celia, who gave Blake smile that looked more than a little forced.

"Well then. Thank you for everything… I never would have made it back if not for you and Felix."

"Uh, yeah. It was my pleasure," he replied, finding himself straining for a smile of his own. "I'm sure you'll be able to figure out how to stop the Usurpation, so good luck at the meeting… Lady Celia."

A palace servant offered for him and Felix to follow her from the throne room, while the Countess was escorted out by the guards. The two groups parted ways in the hall, heading in opposite directions.

 _"_ _I'm sure Felix will go back home after this too,"_ Blake thought. _"Once I'm all cleaned up and I've gotten my reward, I'll be able to head out and go anywhere I want."_

He would be free to do as he wished again. Without the company of the first two friends he'd made in a very long time, and unsure of what to make of himself in the world.

Blake withheld a sigh. He was right back where he started.

* * *

Despite the instruction to get some rest, Ray wound up waiting with Tara and Esme until Marshal Orion emerged from his tent about an hour later. They followed him to the edge of the camp, where Trooper Ruby-13 was being tended to by Jade Squad. Though he was stable, as Esme had reported, Ray grimaced at the number of still-healing wounds on his exposed skin. His armor was all but ruined, and his chest even sported burns.

"I'm glad to see you're recovering," Orion commented.

"Thank you, Marshal. But… I'm the only one who made it."

Ruby-13's fists were clenched.

"Could you tell us what happened?"

The following story was one Ray found a little too relatable toward the end. Ruby Squad, scouting the nearby islands under Sir Merric's command, had come across a frame of obsidian surrounded by unusual red rocks. Within the ring of black stone swirled a purple mass not unlike the linked gateways used in settled Usurper territory. Curious, the team had entered and found themselves in a bizarre alternate dimension of endless fire, lava, and burgundy stones.

It hadn't taken long for them to come across- and be attacked by- a group of grotesque creatures with the faces of pigs, wielding golden blades and crossbows. Ruby-13 managed to escape to the gateway when Sir Merric had ordered a retreat moments before suffering a fatal blow, and the lone trooper clambered out and away from the obsidian frame, through which the pig-men didn't pursue him.

"I was injured during my retreat, and the portal was quite a ways from the site of the attack. I didn't want to leave the light Fire Core behind, but…"

Ray's heart clenched. He knew how the trooper must have felt.

"None of the blame is on you," Orion said softly. "No sense throwing your life away just for the Genesis Core. We can recover it another time- for now, we're to pack up the camp and move out."

The command earned him confused looks from everyone, Ray included.

"There's nothing left for us here," he explained, "so we're heading back to the mainland to regroup. I've reached out to Overseer Fornax, and she's willing to lend us a hand in acquiring the light Bonemeal Core at last."

Ray perked up at the name. Orion was a Marshal, a major officer in the Expansion Division. The Industrial Division equivalent was an Overseer, a rank above Knights. Fornax was one such officer; in fact, she was the immediate superior of Ray and Esme, and their squads were working alongside Orion by her command.

The Marshal turned to him, Tara, and Esme.

"My plan is still a work in progress, so I'll fill everyone in once she and I have it finalized. For now, have the troopers and agents start packing up. Only take the essential supplies; we should get moving as soon as possible."

He moved to head back into the camp, but paused and looked at Ray and Tara again.

"Oh, and as for you two… don't worry about the operation's failure. As long as you're willing to help us with the new plan, Overseer Fornax and I will waive any consequences."

"Thank you, Marshal. I won't let you down again."

Was that humility he'd just heard from Tara? She almost sounded like swallowing her pride to such a degree was painful.

"We… won't be demoted, sir?" Ray asked.

"What would be the point? You're still able-bodied fighters, aren't you? If those three Inlanders were trying to return to Luxmouth, you might even have another chance to get back at them."

And with that, the Marshal left them again. Tara followed suit, not saying another word. Ray turned to Ruby-13.

"I'm sorry for your loss. If you'd like, I'll put in a request to the Marshal to transfer you over to Lime Squad- I'm a bit short on members as it is."

The trooper nodded, but didn't look up from the ground. Ray decided to leave him to recover, walking away into the camp with Esme at his side.

"I'd say we got off easy," he said.

"At least you didn't lose your Genesis Core. You'll be given a new team to work with."

He sighed.

"I know, it's not the same," Esme replied. "Lime Squad meant a lot to you."

"We're all fighting so our people can live better lives. Overthrowing the Inlanders is the top priority, but what's the point if we lose too many ourselves?"

Ray lifted his mask to massage his temples.

"Just have to remind myself of what we're fighting for, that's all. Sorry for griping," he continued.

Esme was quiet, before she failed to hide a giggle.

"I wouldn't have minded if _she_ got a demotion. Maybe then I'd get to have her Ice Core."

"You'd be much better to work with," Ray agreed. "You'll get your own Genesis Core soon, I'm sure of it. I've always thought your reconnaissance talents were wasted by just having you act as security in the camp."

"Oh, don't you flatter me."

He chuckled, rolling his eyes.

"Fine, then, I guess you _don't_ deserve one if all you've done lately is hang back here and cozy up to the Marshal-"

That earned him a punch to the shoulder, but she was still grinning.

* * *

"Here you are, sirs."

Blake was the cleanest he'd been… well, since even before the past week. A much-needed stay in the washroom took care of the mud and dust he'd accumulated on the journey, and the staff had even restored his clothes to a pristine state. Not a rip or stain to be found.

The sun had begun to set by the time he and Felix were presented with their rewards by a servant at the palace's front entrance. Blake couldn't _believe_ what he was looking at: enough food (mixed vegetables and cooked meats) for at least two weeks, a stack (sixty-four) of iron ingots, _two_ stacks of emeralds, and a quarter of a stack of diamonds. Felix received the same.

"Duke Xavier and Countess Celia offer you their upmost thanks," the servant told them.

Thanking him in return, they exited the palace and made their way through the courtyard until they'd returned to the streets. The gates locked behind them.

"Can't help but feel like we just got kicked out," Blake said.

Felix shrugged.

"It's nothing personal. They can't just have people wandering by the palace at night, can they?"

"I guess not."

Many of the pedestrians were turning in for the evening, closing up shops and heading home.

"What're you going to do now?"

Blake was still surveying the streets nearby, but he could see Felix looking at him with an odd expression. He had to think for a moment about his response.

"I'll find an inn to stay at. You have those here, right?"

"We have some in the city, but to tell you the truth they're a little overpriced," Felix said. "Or so I hear, anyway. You're better off at the villages in the outer district- they're more reasonable."

"Good to know. Tomorrow, I'll…"

His heart sank. He had no _idea_ what he'd do the next day, or the day after that.

"…if you've got nowhere else to be, why don't you come by my place for now?"

Blake perked up- perhaps a little too eagerly- and rounded on him.

"Really?"

Felix took half a step back in surprise.

"I-if you're interested. I could show you where my family has their business, and a little of the work we do. I'm sure we can spare a room for you for a few days."

"How much do you want-"

He was cut off when Felix held up a hand.

"You just helped me bring Lady Celia home in the face of mobs, Illagers, _and_ the Usurpation. I'm not taking anything."

Blake smiled. He wouldn't have to be on his own again just yet.

"I've gotta repay you _somehow._ "

Felix hummed.

"Maybe… you could teach me how to fight a little? Lady Celia received formal training, and you seem pretty good at it too, but I wasn't much help when enemies got up close."

"Sounds good to me. Okay then, lead on."

His brief adventure may have been over, but at least he didn't have to be alone again.

Blake followed Felix to a more commercial district of Luxmouth, where the small shops lining the streets gave way to larger businesses and companies. With nighttime setting in, the crowds they'd been escorted through earlier had all but vanished, and only a few straggling villagers or other human citizens like themselves were still roaming the streets. The most activity they came across was the occasional pair of iron-clad guards on patrol who gave them reassuring nods as they passed. By the third time they'd encountered such a duo, Blake had identified a pattern.

_"_ _One always has a sword, and the other has a bow. None of the city streets are dark enough for mobs like skeletons or creepers to spawn, though, so why do they need a ranged weapon?"_

He got an answer soon enough. They rounded a corner and found another pair of guards standing near a pedestrian with noticeable bags under his eyes. Overhead, a large bat-like creature circled before swooping at the man.

"Here it comes," the sword-wielding guard said, bouncing on his heels.

His cohort drew back the bow and loosed an arrow when the creature was close, striking it through the body. The mob dropped to the ground, hissing and snarling until the swordsman finished it off. He picked it up and inspected its smooth wings.

"And not a scratch to the membrane," he remarked. "We're pretty good at this."

"Are you okay, sir?" the archer asked the tired-looking pedestrian.

"Fine, thanks to you."

"Get home safely, now. And get some rest."

The guards and the man thus parted ways, leaving Blake both impressed and puzzled.

"Hey! You okay?"

Felix hadn't noticed him stopping and had continued down the street, barely paying the brief hunt any mind. Blake jogged to him, but pointed at the backs of the guards.

"What just happened? They dealt with a phantom like it was nothing out of the ordinary!"

Phantoms were undead flying mobs, infamous for harassing those who went several days without sleeping. Their wide green eyes alone had long since spooked Blake into never staying up more than he had to. He didn't fear them the same way he did spiders, but they were a nuisance he _never_ wanted to deal with. It wasn't as if phantoms offered rewards worth fighting for anyway; the only items to be gathered from their carcasses were their membranous wings, which Blake had personally never found a use for.

"Oh, that. It really _isn't_ out of the ordinary here," Felix said as they kept walking. "Luxmouth has a big population, and there's always going to be people who go a while without a good night's rest. At least a few phantoms pop up every night, so the guards have taken to hunting them. Membranes sort of accidentally became a big export of the city as a result."

"That sounds equal parts impressive and ridiculous. Who even buys those?"

He shrugged.

"Someone, somewhere. Phantom membranes don't have many uses, but clearly there's a market for them."

Fascinated by the different practices as Blake was, he decided he didn't want to get into the phantom-hunting trade.

The pair continued onward until they reached a building not composed of the same brickwork and cobblestone as most others, but rather smooth granite and andesite- rocks which Blake only ever saw as irritants that filled up his inventory whenever he would go mining. Here, though, the materials had been used along with dark oak logs in a two-story structure which actually looked quite nice. Even the road around the building was layered with smooth diorite.

 _'_ _Silverhand Crafting and Architecture,'_ read a sign on the front. _'No matter the budget, no matter the materials, our work will amaze.'_

"This is your business? Or your house?"

Felix pointed at the upper windows, through which lit redstone lamps could be seen.

"Both. My sister and I live upstairs."

They had just about reached the entrance when the door was flung open, and out stepped a woman taller than either of them, in a simple beige nightgown. Her hair, tied in a bun, was the same gold as Felix's, and her blue eyes matched as well.

The three of them stood still for a few seconds, Blake finding he couldn't directly meet her eyes. She was very pretty, but her hard stare made him want to shrivel up- he could _feel_ the scrutiny he was under.

"Hi, Emily," Felix said, barely above a whisper. He was holding the leather helmet to his chest as if giving a solemn vow.

She didn't reply, stepping out of the doorway and up to them. Blake flinched when she raised a hand toward Felix, but to the apparent surprise of both she gently ruffled his hair. In an instant her icy visage had melted, and she had a very laid-back grin.

"I got a message from the palace earlier saying you and the Countess were back," she said. "It's been a busy day in the store, sorry for not coming to get you sooner."

"Uh, t-that's okay," Felix said, trying to push her hand away. His face had considerably reddened. "C-can you not do that, please?"

"Well, you _did_ have me worried for a couple weeks; damn near made me start growing gray hairs. I'd say you can suck up a little embarrassment as payback."

Blake stared, realizing that was the second time that day he'd been faked out by his friends' family.

"You must be the other kid I heard about," she said to him. "I'm Emily Silverhand, his sister."

"My name's Blake. And yeah, I was traveling with him and Celia."

Felix finally managed to swat her hand out of his hair and took a step away.

"We escaped the Usurpation together and brought back a Genesis Core," he explained.

"No kidding? I'm sure there's a long story behind that, but you can tell me it tomorrow. Come on in; you both look exhausted."

Blake gave Felix a bewildered look, to which Emily just chuckled.

"We've got a spare bedroom for you," she said. "Or maybe I'll make Felix sleep in the showroom- give him a little extra punishment for sneaking out. You can take his place for the night!"

"T-the spare is fine, thank you," Blake somehow managed to say. This was one of the strangest interactions with a person he'd ever experienced.

She beamed at them.

"Okay, suit yourself."

Emily entered without waiting for them. Blake hesitated, still at a loss for words.

"She's able to shift her tone and attitude _instantly_ ," Felix groaned, a hand over his eyes. "It's jarring. Sorry, I should've warned you sooner."

"Wouldn't be much of a businesswoman if I couldn't adjust as the situation demands!" her voice drifted from the doorway. "Now get in here and go to bed already!"

"Best not to argue," he said, following her inside.

Still unsure how Emily _actually_ felt- and concerned he never would be- Blake heeded his advice.

* * *

"Please let us know if you need anything, Countess."

"Thank you, I will."

Celia, fresh from her bath and a small dinner she'd requested, shut the door and got a look at her room for the first time in nearly two and a half weeks.

A bed large enough for three people.

Redstone lamps, emitting dim blue light through stained-glass fixtures.

A jukebox and a chest of music discs.

Soft white carpeting which her feet sank comfortably into.

A window with a wide view of the nighttime sky, and its endless stars.

Bookshelves stocked with every genre she could ask for.

A painting of her father from many years earlier, a brunette woman with a gentle smile at his side and a redheaded toddler in his lap.

Chests stuffed with ornate clothing for any occasion.

And, of course, the two guards at her beck and call outside.

All of it felt alien to her.

It wasn't the first time Celia had been away from home. She'd visited Luxmouth's neighbors in the past on official business with her father, and had been gone longer before. But something about being in the room again felt different- _other_ than the new layer of obsidian blocks in the floor beneath her bed.

She frowned. Her getaway had been for the good of her city, but the message was clear.

_"I suppose there's no need to sneak out again. We now have three Genesis Cores in safe custody, and we won't need to spread our militia any thinner."_

Encounters with the Usurpation aside, she'd succeeded in spectacular fashion. A smile crossed her lips, but vanished just as quickly.

_"_ _That was quite the journey. Now it's over."_

Celia wandered to the shelf and removed a book with a heavily weathered spine. Its cover depicted a man and a woman in shining diamond armor, doing battle with a black dragon.

_'_ _THE LEGENDARY HEROES – and Other Tales of Adventure'_

She sat beside the window, just looking into the night sky with the book held to her chest.


	17. The Next Phase

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Celia takes part in a war council to determine what should be done about the invasion. Blake and Felix settle into a routine, and the Usurpation prepares for its next move against Luxmouth.

**Chapter 17: The Next Phase**

A week and a half passed. Before Blake knew it, he’d essentially become part of the Silverhand household.

Their home on the upper floor couldn’t have been more different from the pristine grandiosity of the palace, yet reflected its inhabitants to an equal extent. It was modest and lacked any extravagant décor, reminding Blake of the village he’d grown up in with how simple their tastes appeared. But calling the house _barren_ couldn’t be further from the truth- blueprints, rough sketches, and schematics for new devices or buildings littered the walls. Many had long successions of notes attached, some even reaching the floor. A closer look revealed them to be comments from the siblings on each other’s work, offering praise or pointing out solutions to problems.

Blake couldn’t decipher half of what the notes were getting at. It was even worse near Felix’s room, where the blueprints instead detailed redstone contraptions _much_ too complicated for the casual observer like himself. He didn’t spend much time upstairs beyond staying in the guest bedroom, dining room, or washroom; mercifully, all three were relatively clear of the overwhelming jargon.

Downstairs in the storefront, things were much neater. Wooden plank floors, an open showroom to display the Silverhands’ various services, and the soft illumination of redstone lamps gave the place a less cluttered feel. It was only in the back room, where their crafting was carried out, that things became messier. It was covered wall to wall in chests, crafting tables, and furnaces.

This room was where Blake found himself most often.

Emily spent most of the days out conducting appraisals for future projects or working on some construction site or other. Most of the business’ hired help went with her, leaving Felix and only a few villagers trained in blacksmithing to hold down the fort at their shop. Unwilling to just bum around taking up space, Blake wound up getting a part-time job to help Felix manage a nigh-endless list of crafting orders.

“Blake, we need repairs done on these six iron chestplates.”

“Pass them here, I’ll take care of it.”

“We just got a request for an enchanting table. Three of them, actually. Need the recipe?”

“I’ve got it, thanks.”

“At some point we have to fix up this golden sword.”

“Is that the same sword as yesterday? This guy’s gotta switch to something more durable.”

“Someone’s looking for a turtle shell. Do we have enough scutes?”

“We’re all out. I’ll write up the order for more.”

“Thanks.”

Blake still had no eye for design aesthetics, but he adjusted to the logistics of the store with relative ease. Something about the routineness of it all felt good; it occupied time he might have otherwise wasted.

On days off, or during the evenings, he gave Felix some pointers in combat. Though he turned out to be all thumbs when it came to swords, he showed much greater prowess wielding an axe. Seeing no reason not to diversify his defense against other weapon types, Blake took to sparring with him using a sword made from some of the iron he’d been rewarded with. Felix proved to learn quickly, and before long he was able to hold his own against Blake for a few minutes. Grass Core notwithstanding, he probably could have stood up to Ray.

Neither of them were world-class combatants. But by training together, they both improved quite a bit from when they’d first met. And, perhaps more importantly for Blake, it was _fun_ to have a friend to push himself with again.

One evening, Emily had news for them as they sat down for dinner together.

“I’ll need both of you to work a little overtime for the next few days. We’re about to get a big influx of orders.”

Felix just nodded, with no further questions.

“Why’s that?” Blake asked. “Is something going on?”

“Luxmouth’s hosting representatives from our neighbors to discuss the Usurpation War effort,” Emily explained, “and Duke Xavier himself has requested new items to add to the guests’ provisions.”

She snorted before continuing.

“The list’s shorter than it usually would be during other visits. I’m glad all it took to convince some of the big-shots they could go without bed sheets made of the wool from sheep personally blessed by Notch was an _invasion._ Remember last year, Felix?”

“I wish I _couldn’t_. All the dyes we were using for banners and carpeting wouldn’t wash out of my hands for a week.”

Blake thought it over before recalling his visit to the palace.

“Oh yeah, we heard about that after we got here.”

“On the bright side, we’ll get a day off for the Festival,” she said.

He blinked.

“What?”

“The Festival of Notch’s Triumph? You don’t know what that is?”

“I know who _Notch_ is. Just didn’t know you guys had a whole festival for him.”

Like the Legendary Heroes, Notch was one of those names everybody seemed to know on principle, no matter where they were from. But a festival dedicated to him was new to Blake.

“We have a two-day, citywide celebration in his honor every year,” Felix explained. “That’ll contribute to the increased workload over the next few days too, but like Em said, we’ll have the day itself off.”

“Until then, everyone’s going to have to pull extra weight. Got it?” asked Emily.

Blake and Felix nodded.

“Great. Now, who’s up for some cake?”

* * *

Celia scanned the rotunda, checking off a list of names in her head.

_“Granitetown, Spruce Roost, Horizon’s Outreach, and even Frostcap... but is this really it?”_

The day of the meeting had come, two weeks after her return, and on that clear afternoon Luxmouth had welcomed the ambassadors of any settlement or allied group with which contact hadn’t been cut off. More than two dozen people, guards and officials alike, entered the palace’s chamber of foreign affairs. Celia was seated in the front, at her father’s right. On either side of them sat the Duke’s advisory council, elected officials who helped him enact the will of Luxmouth’s populace. The rest of the tables were arranged to encircle a central podium, on which a large map of the continent had been placed.

“You look tense, Father,” she whispered. “Please, loosen up a little.”

He slackened his shoulders with a grim nod. Celia could hardly blame him; though he’d maintained an air of optimism since she returned, the sight of barely half the birch chairs in the room occupied was disheartening for them both.

_“All those not present are either too tied up in dealing with the Usurpation, or they’ve already been conquered.”_

As everyone took a seat, she tried to put on a brave face. Now was the time to be strong- for her father, for her people, and for the world the invaders sought to overrun.

_“I wonder how the others are doing. Did Blake stay in the city? Or did he leave, to find his calling?”_

Her father stood, and a hush fell over the room.

“Many years has it been since Luxmouth last played host to a war council,” he announced. “I’d hoped not to attend another in my lifetime, but fate has made its call. It does my heart good to see we have not yet all fallen to the invaders.”

He sat and gestured to one of the tables on their right.

“We should assess the situation before we decide our plan of action. Envoys of Frostcap, you have the floor."

The mountain city was the furthest north of Luxmouth’s allies, a comparatively small community surrounded by icy, difficult terrain. Due to how out of the way it was and its lack of a Genesis Core, the Usurpation had largely ignored Frostcap- which subsequently employed a spy network across the conquered territory.

“Thank you, Duke Xavier,” one of the ambassadors said, stepping over to the map. “The Usurpation Army has pushed its main forces southeast as far as the Great Badlands, where they have established a city of their own while continuing their hunt for those artifacts.”

He pointed at a black X on the map within a large orange area, where only the occasional small village was found. Celia’s heart clenched; the residents couldn’t have stood a chance.

“We believe they intend to expand further to the south,” the ambassador continued, “until they have the western territories surrounded.”

“That’s impossible!” came an uproar from one of the Spruce Roost dignitaries. “Be reasonable, no army could have the manpower to hold _that_ much land!”

The room fell silent. When it became clear the speaker from Frostcap wasn’t kidding, the objector blanched.

“But… how could they… _where_ could they even get those kinds of numbers?

“It isn’t just in their numbers,” the Frostcap ambassador said. “The ‘Genesis Cores’ they possess seem to have been the deciding factor. We have been in contact with the Iron Garrison mercenary force, who regrettably could not spare any representatives to speak with us. Their messengers tell of the mystic powers wielded by the Usurpation’s squad leaders.”

“That can’t be _true,_ can it?” someone else asked.

Celia looked at her father, who nodded and spoke up.

“Ladies and gentlemen, a moment please. My daughter, the Countess Celia, recently encountered the Usurpation’s scouts personally. She will share her experiences for you all.”

The ambassadors returned to their seats, all eyes on Celia. She gulped and stood to address the room.

“Esteemed representatives of Luxmouth’s friends and neighbors,” she began, “the Duke speaks the truth. Nearly a month ago, I covertly left the city and traveled overseas to the west, where I was able to find a Genesis Core.”

An unspoken “you did that by yourself?” was tangible amongst her listeners, so she elaborated.

“I left with no escort, only the help of a trusted friend. We were further assisted by a young man who lived near the Core’s site of discovery. During our return journey, we were hounded by two parties of Usurpers who sought to take it from us.”

Celia could feel more than a few judgmental stares at the mention of her nonexistent security detail, but nobody said anything. She never thought she’d miss Blake’s blunt informality; _he_ would have told her how reckless the plan had been without a second thought.

“The impression I took from them was one of mixed capability. Dressed in ragged robes, and with average swordsmanship at best, they appear to be little more than brigands. However, the Usurpation also possesses technology very different to our own, which we are as yet incapable of replicating. But their _main_ strength appears to be a morale bordering on the zealous. Their minor troops were identified by numbers, with only their squad leaders appearing to have names.”

She heard confused mutters echoing from both sides of the room.

“Said leaders did indeed possess Genesis Cores of their own, and put up a considerable fight in their pursuit. If the Usurpation has as many Cores under their control as it seems, we can only guess what they might be capable of.”

Celia took a seat, catching another small nod from her father in the corner of her eye. The Frostcap ambassador returned to the podium.

“There you have it. We don’t yet know what drives the zealotry the Countess mentioned, but we may have determined where the Usurpation comes from.”

Everyone in the room appeared to lean forward in their seats, Celia included. Finally, some answers about their mysterious enemies!

The representative cleared his throat, realizing the heightened attention he’d brought upon himself.

“Frostcap’s analysis of their movements, and the lack of prior information from any known region, indicates only one potential place of origin. The Usurpation… hails from the Far Lands.”

The room fell silent, until the Spruce Roost representative who’d voiced skepticism beforehand stifled a snort.

“That’s not possible. It _can’t_ be. How many expeditions, how many _daring_ adventurers have gone seeking the world beyond the Border, never to return?”

Others conferred amongst themselves. One of Luxmouth’s advisors whispered something to the Duke, quiet enough that Celia couldn’t hear. Based on his sudden frown, however, she could tell he was as troubled as everyone else.

The lands on which Luxmouth and its neighbors were built, and where the Usurpation had revealed itself, were said to be at the edge of the world itself. Far beyond the Frostcap mountain range, a colossal wall of earth and stone dotted with bizarre crevices stood above the landscape, stretching endlessly to the east and west. Mobs resided in the surrounding wasteland in droves, and even the sky appeared to end over the wall, disappearing behind a veil of dark clouds. No towns had ever lasted long near the Border, and there was nothing of any value in the region, so settling there had for all recorded history been deemed pointless.

Regardless, speculation of a world beyond the Border had persisted in the countless generations since its discovery. It wasn’t uncommon, every few decades, for some ambitious adventuring party to set off in an effort to find the so-called Far Lands, last frontier of the known world.

None who ventured to the Border were ever seen again. The thought of the Usurpation coming from beyond it, well-equipped enough to launch an invasion, was inconceivable.

And yet…

_“Their disheveled clothing, hiding unfamiliar equipment. Their knowledge of Genesis Cores, which are unlike anything else we know. Their deathly complexion, like they haven’t gotten much sunlight.”_

Celia’s heart skipped a beat.

_“Their referral to us as ‘Inlanders…’”_

It fit together too well.

A darkness loomed over the council- unbelievable as it seemed, they were at war with an enemy from beyond the world itself.

* * *

“Urgh… what’s the matter? Aren’t you brutes gonna kill us? Huh? You’re out for our BLOOD, right?!”

Sometimes Ray wished he could share Tara’s impassiveness. That moment, standing guard by a row of bound and beaten “Illager captains” and struggling to tune out their deranged taunts, was one such time.

He and the rest of Marshal Orion’s detachment (which, following their hunt for the dark Bonemeal Core, consisted mostly of _Industrial_ Division soldiers) had returned to the mainland and regrouped at Fornax Outpost. Overseer Fornax herself was absent, owing to some new development at the newly-established Usurpation city of Incursia, but the troops at her encampment had allowed them space to rest and recover.

Ray was given few sympathetic looks from the other Industrial Division scouting teams present, not that he felt he deserved them anyway. Losing an entire squad of recruits eager to contribute to the cause didn’t exactly buff one’s reputation. If there was any consolation, it was watching Tara try her hardest not to look like the failure bothered her at all.

_“Anyone else, I’d feel bad for. But nobody as stuck-up as her. She can squirm.”_

With that bitter satisfaction in mind, he’d resolved to do better on the next assignment. Tara could have lost her _entire_ squad and not batted an eye- not cared for the trust they’d placed in her. But Ray would be different. He would continue to fight, in memory of Lime Squad. He would give his all to the cause, and aid his people until the very end.

Their final victory, however, wasn’t in reach yet. The Expansion Division’s progress had been slowed by local resistance and wild monsters every step of the way, and its leader- the Commandant Red- had ordered a temporary pause of the invasion while Usurpation scout teams sought out more Genesis Cores.

Speaking of which, Marshal Orion’s as-yet unexplained plan was apparently designed to the end of regaining the Cores under Luxmouth’s possession. How they intended to do that was still beyond Ray; they lacked the numbers to attack the city, and infiltrating it would be difficult. The disappearance of the first squad sent to sneak in and steal the light Bonemeal Core suggested a greater degree of security than initially suspected.

“Hey! Hey, I’m talking to YOU, freak!”

He scowled. This was draining him.

“Would you shut up? I’m not in the mood to humor you.”

One of the Illagers chortled at finally having gotten a response.

“But you want us dead. All you humans have ever wanted is our blood, and our land. Isn’t that what you’re doing right now, with your takeover? You want to drive us out?”

“What we _want_ is a better life for our people,” he said, narrowing his eyes. “And you Inlanders happen to be in the way. We come from a dangerous place, _you’ve_ enjoyed this realm’s peace without worry.”

“Hah! What ‘dangerous place’ would that be? Beyond the wall?”

Ray stared him in the face, expecting a gradual onset of alarm when the Illager realized he’d told the truth. To _his_ surprise, the malicious smile only widened.

“Aha…! So it IS true! You’re a Far Lander!”

“If that’s what you call it,” he said.

“We’ve heard stories of people like you,” another of the prisoners chimed in. “Did you enjoy your exile?”

He had to force down the urge to punch him.

“We were banished from our homes too,” the Illager continued, “but not quite as forcefully. Heh heh heh…”

“Sir Ray.”

Tara poked her head into the tent.

“Marshal Orion calls for our presence, he’s about to go over the plan. My troopers will relieve you of your post. Now, stop fraternizing with the scum and hurry along.”

Before he could rebut, she’d already left. Grumbling, he gave the smug Illagers a dirty look and followed her out.

* * *

The revelation of their enemy’s origin brought a new wave of confused discussion to the war council, one which was only quelled when the Duke shouted for order. Celia flinched, she hadn’t heard him raise his voice in some time.

“If the Usurpation truly is from past the Border, where we have dared not tread, it is no wonder they built up such an army without notice. However, knowing this does NOT answer the key question- _what should we do in the face of this invasion?_ ”

“If I may, Duke Xavier? I believe I have a proposition.”

An ambassador from Granitetown, a moderately-sized community to the east of Luxmouth, had stood up. She had a firm, determined look in her eyes.

“Very well. Speak your piece.”

The woman took to the podium, pointing at her town on the map.

“As you can see, Granitetown is just south of the Great Badlands. If the Usurpation does continue to expand, we will be the next settlement to fall. Our armed forces are well-trained, but we simply lack the resources to fund any meaningful counteroffensive.”

Hushed agreements sounded from the rest of the room.

“Even if we were to unite our militias as a proper army,” she continued, “the Usurpation has the edge thanks to their Genesis Cores, and our current supply of ores will dwindle quickly. The solution, then, should be obvious: we must reach out to Tenebyss for help.”

Her proposition yielded a cacophony of conflicting responses. Celia was disheartened, but not exactly surprised: Luxmouth’s southern neighbor was technically no longer governed by any real authority after a revolution some thirty-six years prior. A militaristic group called the Ender Forge had seized control of the city’s expansive mining industry and marched on the nearby territories, leading to a bloody war which lasted half a decade. Her father never liked to talk about that time.

Following the Ender Forge’s defeat, the city’s subterranean caverns had played host to a new power: the Tenebyss Ore Excavation Company, which sought to use the ore-rich mine shafts more productively. The TOEC settled into a trade deal with Luxmouth and the other cities, and they all had since maintained peaceful, albeit wary relations.

Calling upon the mining city to aid in the latest conflict proved a controversial idea to say the least.

“TOEC’s security can’t help us fight a war!”

“They have greater metal and gem deposits than most of us combined! They’d be a valuable ally!”

“Who’s to say they won’t join the Usurpation and profit off supplying _them?_ ”

“My family lost everything during the Ender Forge’s attacks!”

“We don’t have any other options!”

“ORDER!” the Duke roared, slamming a fist on the table. In a flash, the room fell silent. He took a deep breath before speaking again.

“Forgive my lack of decorum- or don’t, if you so wish. At this point, I am less concerned with formalities than with ensuring our _survival._ This bickering is getting us nowhere. If it will increase our chances of defeating the Usurpation, then I for one am in favor of enlisting Tenebyss’ aid.”

The ambassadors shared uncertain glances.

“We cannot win if we do not stand united,” one of Frostcap’s representatives said. “I concur.”

Steadily, the rest began to agree- some more reluctantly than others. Celia made a discreet sigh; she didn’t realize her heart had been pounding for some time until then.

“How are we to reach them?” somebody asked. “The Usurpation has cut off messengers whenever possible, and TOEC may not be willing to provide aid even if a request does make it to Tenebyss.”

The Duke opened his mouth to speak, but paused. After thinking for a moment, he turned to Celia.

“You seem to have more hands-on experience with our enemies than anyone here. What do _you_ suggest?”

Though not happy to have all the attention on her again, she wouldn’t back down from the chance to contribute.

“During our escape, we received aid from a group called the Netherrack Network. They strike at the Usurpation before retreating into the Nether, which they have used to travel great distances in a short time. It was thanks to them that I was able to return sooner than expected. Their leader is supposedly Gwendolyn, the Diamond Knight.”

Her last revelation caused the greatest stir of all, until one delegate from Spruce Roost spoke up.

“It could be worth pursuing an alliance with this group. Is Luxmouth still in contact with them?”

Celia froze, whatever morale she might have built from her suggestion drying up.

_“I only told Ember that his leader was welcome here… we haven’t heard back from them since!”_

“Not… at present,” she finally answered. “But one of the members told me their group would be open to the idea, and promised to inform Gwendolyn of it.”

She might as well have made the Netherrack Network up. None of the ambassadors seemed to take the idea seriously, without a solid connection.

“We will take this into consideration,” her father said. “Luxmouth will also arrange for a message to Tenebyss to be sent within the next few days.”

Disheartened by her blunder, Celia fell silent. The meeting carried on in something of a blur, as the envoys discussed the logistics of defense efforts and where battle lines could be drawn. Finally, a break was called and the council dispersed for the day.

“You did well,” her father said once they had left the rotunda and were returning to the throne room.

“I couldn’t contribute much. When I suggested seeking out the Netherrack Network’s help, I hadn’t considered we haven’t heard from them since we parted ways. It was foolish of me not to secure communications with Gwendolyn.”

He smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder.

“You may not have thought it all the way through, but you made the effort. You have good relations with this group, and you felt their support could help us.”

“But they are just empty words if we can’t find them again-”

“Celia.”

She clammed up. He looked serious now, and stopped walking.

“If you propose an idea, you must have the confidence to stand behind it. We are short on options, and second-guessing ourselves will do us no good. Though we may not be in contact with the Netherrack Network _now_ , both of our factions wish to stop the Usurpation. We’ll have another opportunity to join forces. Your opinion- your personal experience in the field- is not wasted.”

She took a breath, and her father chuckled.

“You were nervous, weren’t you?”

“That whole time, I felt ready to jump out of my skin.”

“I understand. It doesn’t get any better with age.”

Celia blinked. Was he saying…?

“Yes, I get nervous around foreign ambassadors as well. Even with the assistance of my council, leading our people and keeping up our standing amongst the neighbors is no simple task.”

He started to laugh.

“Why, sometimes I wish I had your foolhardiness. It would make these proceedings much less stressful!”

She frowned.

“I can’t tell if you’re complimenting me or not.”

“You took the initiative when I was hesitant on seeking out the Genesis Core. You were willing to take the risk upon yourself, for the sake of our people. Had I sent a search party, without your sense of motivation, we might not have wound up with as many Cores as we have. Celia… you have a unique perspective and way of thinking, one which I think will guide you well as the Duchess one day.”

Her face heated up, but she smiled back at him.

“In that case, I would like to ask a favor. I want to put my ‘foolhardiness’ to good use again- I want to travel to Tenebyss, and request their aid personally.”

Celia wasn’t sure what reaction she’d expected, but his raised brow made her more than a little uncertain how this would play out.

“Is that right?”

It was time to stand behind her idea, as he’d said.

“No matter what TOEC’s position on joining the war is, they won’t be able to just ignore an appeal from the Countess herself. One way or another, my personal request _will_ guide them to a decision.”

“Hm… I can’t say I fancy the thought of sending you out of the city into potential harm. You understand, I hope?”

“I do, Father.”

He sighed.

“Will you sneak out again if I say no?”

Celia hesitated to answer.

“I’ll take that as a yes. Were the situation not so dire, I might have considered being stricter with you... but these are desperate times. If your heart is set, I will allow you to go- _with_ a proper escort. Mister Silverhand is a fine young man, but you’ll forgive me for not entrusting your safety to him alone. A detachment of knights will accompany you.”

She rubbed behind her head.

“That sounds reasonable. Thank you, Father. I will be ready to leave-“

“In two days.”

Her father started to walk again, explaining as he walked right past the doors to the throne room instead of entering.

“The Festival of Notch’s Triumph begins tomorrow. Can I convince you to stay for its duration?”

“With all due respect, we don’t have much time to spare…”

“Very true. But now more than ever, the Festival gives our people hope that evil will always be vanquished. They will look to us to lead Luxmouth into a better future, and our presences in the festivities should improve morale.”

The pair ascended a flight of stairs before Celia realized where they were going. Her father led her to the second-floor balcony, from which one had a view of the city’s inner districts. The early evening sky gave Luxmouth, and the river flowing through it, a beautiful orange hue.

“Never forget what we are working so hard to protect,” her father said. “Everyone here is counting on us.”

Celia made a quiet vow- not just as the Countess, but as a citizen of the home she loved so much.

“I will never forget. No matter what.”


	18. Anniversary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luxmouth celebrates a historic day, and Blake learns more about an old legend. The Usurpation forces, motivated by a legend of their own, put their next plan into motion.

**Chapter 18: Anniversary**

Blake recalled village-wide festivals back home. Birthdays and bountiful harvests were always celebrated, and he and his old friends never hesitated to join in the fun. The sheer excitement surging through the town had been infectious, and at the time he couldn't imagine anything on a bigger scale than everyone coming together for the festivities.

How wrong he was.

Luxmouth, on that bright morning, was _buzzing._ Hundreds of people took to the streets, whipped up in a frenzy. Parades were already underway, artists lined the side roads and hawked their wares, and not more than a few seconds went by before the ring of a bell- often several- was heard. Groups of children, human and villager alike, chased each other with tiny wooden swords, engaged in battles of no doubt epic proportions. Guards patrolled the streets as usual, but with a greater air of levity than Blake had seen during his time in the city. Even the iron golems appeared happier than usual, offering bundles of flowers to everyone they passed. As Blake followed Felix and Emily up the road from the shop, he couldn't help but feel a bit giddy at the raw energy around them.

He was _also_ happy for the day off. His fingers and arms still ached after the last few days of nonstop crafting- the orders just never stopped coming in for decorations and supplies.

"This is everyone's favorite time of year," Emily said between mouthfuls of a candied melon slice- something of a Luxmouth specialty. "Would you believe me if I said it's usually even livelier than this?"

He took a bite of his own melon. It was _oppressively_ sweet, and not entirely to his liking, but Blake wasn't one to waste.

"I bet it is. The war definitely puts a damper on things."

"Yet everyone's celebrating anyway," Felix remarked. "Not even an invasion will keep their spirits down."

"The Festival's more meaningful than ever. It's all about standing up in the face of evil and overcoming it, fighting for the sake of the world, gooey things like that," said Emily. "Just like Notch did."

Blake raised a brow.

"Really? Not what I heard."

That earned him an odd look from them both.

"Where I'm from," he explained, "we heard Notch was a hero who gave mankind the knowledge of mining and crafting. That's why we're able to make such good use of the environment. Meanwhile, he taught villagers some of their trades."

"I mean, that's _part_ of it," said Emily after a moment. "But there's way more to the legend. It used to be Felix's favorite bedtime story, why not ask him about it? I've told it to him so much, we _both_ know it by memory."

Felix, red in the face, looked down at the street while his sister snorted with laughter.

"E-Em…"

Blake grinned, but wasn't about to tease him for it. He remembered his own adoptive father telling him stories of fantasy and adventure, when he was younger. They were what gave him the love of exploration he'd shared with his friends.

His father. He fought back the urge to well up at the thought of the old villager.

 _"_ _Wherever you're watching me from, I hope I'm making you proud."_

Emily was twenty-nine, easily old enough to have her own family, but had foregone that for the sake of looking after Felix and the family business. Neither of them had ever mentioned their parents' conspicuous absence to Blake, who himself had decided not to pry. Celia's apparent lack of a mother hadn't gone unnoticed either, but similarly, he felt it wasn't his business to ask.

"…okay, fine!"

He brought his attention back to the present, where Felix seemed to have been convinced to share the story.

"Have you ever heard of Herobrine?"

A distant memory clicked in his mind, and he flinched.

"You can't say that name!"

Both of them looked at him strangely again. The three had reached Luxmouth's main road and were watching various street performers and musicians at work, portraying grand tales of heroism.

"It's bad luck. At least, that's what all the villagers told us when we were kids…"

"What do you know about him?" asked Felix.

"He's the King of Darkness, Scourge of the Overworld. I've even seen Illagers panic at the mention of his name."

Emily smirked.

"If I knew it could spook people _that_ badly, maybe I would've used it to keep Felix in line more when he was younger. 'Eat your vegetables, or Herobrine will take you away!'"

"Ha ha. Hilarious." Felix said with a roll of his eyes. "Anyway, the legend says a long time ago, the world was chaotic and dangerous. Natural disasters like fire raining from the sky and winds violent enough to tear up the land itself made survival nearly impossible for mankind. You said you know that much at least?"

Blake mulled it over. He was following so far.

"Right, the 'calamities.' The people got so desperate they started to pray for a savior to come, and it wound up being Notch, right?"

"It was Notch, but he wasn't alone. Another being came from the sky with him. As the story says, that second savior was none other than Herobrine. Both of them had powers over nature, and with them they brought peace to the world."

Emily had bought them each another candied melon slice. Blake didn't have the heart to deny it after it had already been paid for, so he did his best to look like he enjoyed the treat.

 _"_ _Too sweet… urk…"_

"Herobrine used his abilities to quell the calamities," Felix continued, "while Notch taught the humans and villagers how to survive on their own. Both were supposedly immortal, and followed that routine for hundreds of years. But Herobrine's own strength eventually went to his head. He figured he didn't have to waste his time looking after others when he could be _ruling_ them."

Between discreetly choking down bites of the melon, Blake nodded.

"So he tested the limits of his abilities, and wound up creating the first mobs: spiders, creepers, and the undead. With them, he began a war against Notch and his forces."

"And I guess that war's been going to this day. Because we _still_ have to deal with them," he remarked.

Felix scratched his head.

"I guess so too. Notch managed to beat Herobrine after a long battle, but couldn't bring himself to kill him. The legend says they saw each other as brothers before the war began. So, Notch instead took him somewhere he couldn't hurt anyone else, and they were never seen again."

"That's… tragic, actually. Imagine having to fight your own family…"

"Not something _I'd_ want to do," Emily said, ruffling Felix's hair. Blake stared in disbelief as she started on a _third_ melon slice without hesitation. "Interesting story, isn't it?"

"Very. I didn't think I could've missed out on _that_ much back home."

As he thought about the legend, however, a question nagged at him.

 _"_ _Does the Usurpation also know that story? What's THEIR deal in all this?"_

* * *

"Want to know something interesting, Sir Ray?"

He blinked. Was Tara about to belittle him, or was she actually trying to make casual conversation?

"…sure, fill me in."

"For starters, as you can see, Luxmouth is celebrating."

They, the three remaining troopers of Crimson Squad, and Ruby-13 (temporarily assigned under Tara) took cover at the edge of an oak forest beside a grassy plain. Dame Esme and Marshal Orion were awaiting the delivery of new models of Core tracker from Overseer Fornax's agents and would not be joining them until later, leaving the small group to keep watch for the afternoon.

The Ever-Glowing City loomed in the distance, but music and excited cheers were audible even from their vantage point. Occasionally a rocket would shoot into the air with a trail of smoke, not unlike the signal flares used in Usurpation territory. However, there didn't seem to be any practical interpretation for the multicolored sparks bursting at the apex of the launch. They _looked_ nice, to be sure, but the colors weren't very visible in the midday sun. Someone must have been impatient to set them off.

"Do you know what it's about?" he asked her.

"I can hazard a guess. Because it's around this time of year, by their metric, that the Inlanders celebrate our exile."

Ray looked at the four troopers accompanying them.

"Did any of you know this?"

Tara's grunts all shrugged, but Ruby-13 nodded.

"It's true. I remember Sir Merric telling us the Day of Herobrine's Betrayal was approaching."

"Really? So, they're celebrating our ancestors' betrayal and suffering," Ray growled, "while they enjoy such simple lives? We'll make them pay…"

His gaze returned to Luxmouth, and he tightened a fist.

Everyone in the Usurpation knew the tale of Herobrine, who led their ancestors from the chaotic wastes to the Inlands where they would be safe. They _also_ knew of Notch, the cruel overlord who roused an army to drive them away. According to the legend, the two deities had battled for supremacy until Herobrine one day decided to join Notch, tempted by the thought of using his powers for dominating those who'd trusted him. He had created monsters of his own, and the pair of tyrants had forcibly exiled all but a precious few back to the wastes.

Wherever Herobrine and Notch had vanished to in the generations since, they clearly showed no care for those they'd permitted to stay in the Inlands. The Usurpation had built up its power unopposed, and while the monsters remained, the wicked duo was nowhere to be seen. With the discovery of the Genesis Cores, so named for their use in bringing about a new world for humanity, _nobody_ would oppress the exiles again.

 _"_ _Their apathy will be the downfall of the Inlands. We have endured the wastes, and are tempered for conquest. If they ever do return… they will find their precious world upheaved. And theirs will just be two more bodies added to the pile."_

Lime Squad had been lost to Herobrine's abominations, and the descendants of Notch's Chosen continued to oppose Ray. His blood boiled at the mere thought.

The afternoon wore on. Ray took to pacing back and forth under the trees, trying to keep his focus sharpened for the operation to come. It would not be the day Luxmouth fell- the glorious day justice was served on this decadent society- but they would deal a major blow nonetheless.

And as small as the Usurpation strike team would be, they were well-prepared. Ray and Tara both wore new models of chestplate, featuring enchantments which masked the signatures of Genesis Cores within their wielders.

 _"_ _We're about to give them the shock of a lifetime."_

The colorful explosions intensified as the sun began to set. As his anticipation rose in turn, he heard a call from behind.

"There you are. Sorry to keep you waiting."

Marshal Orion and Jade Squad approached.

"Anything to report?" he asked Tara.

"No, sir. The celebration seems to have taken up most of their attention- we can execute the plan whenever you're ready."

"Very well. We'll proceed in two groups- Dame Esme, you will leave half of Jade Squad here to prepare our escape route. You, the rest of your agents, and Sir Ray will travel as one unit, while I will be accompanied by Dame Tara and her troopers. Understood?"

"Yes, sir!" replied everyone in unison.

"Then get your shovels and pickaxes ready. Dame Tara's intel will be put to good use."

The detachment split up as directed. Ray joined Esme, who was making a final check of her team. Without a Genesis Core of her own, she was still wearing the older, unenchanted armor. She had her hood down, revealing short, sandy gray hair that reached her shoulders. He'd always found her quite pretty- not that he would dare admit it aloud.

"Marshal!" she exclaimed. "Check your tracker!"

Ray looked over her shoulder at the map, and whistled at the Industrial Division’s latest product. It could monitor the positions of up to eight Genesis Cores at a time from a much further distance, and it could even identify them. His suspicions were correct; “BONEMEAL – LIGHT,” “BONEMEAL – DARK,” and “FIRE- LIGHT” all read as within Luxmouth’s vicinity, while “GRASS – LIGHT,” “ICE – LIGHT,” and “WATER – DARK” weren’t registering. But a surprise was in store for him: at the bottom of the list, a fourth Genesis Core was marked.

Curiously, the unaccounted Core couldn't be distinguished beyond "DARK – UNKNOWN."

"Ha! We might have the chance to take home FOUR tonight!" the Marshal laughed. "Let's go."

"Maybe you'll get your pick of one," Ray said to Esme as three of her agents began to tunnel under the dirt. The remaining four walked away to prepare their own phase of the mission.

"I hope it's the Fire Core. I doubt I'm lucky enough to be trusted with whatever the unidentified one is, and the Bonemeal Cores don't sound very useful in a fight."

"You'd be surprised…" he muttered.

With evening approaching, Ray entered the tunnel behind Esme's team and sealed the hole with dirt.

"Sir Ray?" one of Jade Squad's agents asked. "Is it normal to feel like I'm being watched after…"

"I think so. I'm feeling it again myself."

But this time, he'd put the Illagers to better use.

* * *

Anxious as Celia was to leave for Tenebyss, she couldn't deny it was nice to be home for Notch's Triumph. The day had been one of merriment across Luxmouth- something the populace sorely needed in light of the war. She only hoped the other cities were able to find a similar levity.

 _"_ _And those already under the Usurpation's control… please, just hold out hope and stay strong- you will be freed, I swear it."_

It was customary for the Duke to tour the streets of Luxmouth's inner city district on horseback, greeting the citizens. Today, her father had taken it a step further- he visited the outer village district as well, to the delight of the farmers and fishers who gathered to see him.

Ever dutiful, Celia had accompanied her father on her own horse, smiling and waving to the crowds until her face and arms were sore. Picking out any one face among the countless citizens was next to impossible, but she was still a little disappointed to see Felix or his sister anywhere. Blake, she figured, _must_ have left by then in search of his calling.

 _"_ _I hope he finds success, wherever he is."_

She couldn't believe it, but she missed him.

The tour had taken up most of her day, and the sun was almost fully set by the time the Duke's guards finally turned to lead them back. Being surrounded by a platoon of armored and mounted knights struck Celia as lessening their relatability to the citizens, but the chief of security had insisted on a larger escort when they were so far from the palace.

"Everyone's so happy," she said to her father, beaming. "I'm relieved the war couldn't dampen their spirits today."

"An important reminder of what's at stake," he replied. "Thank you for staying with me just a bit longer. By midday tomorrow, you'll be on the road to Tenebyss, expanding our allies. I know you'll do me proud."

"Will you be okay in the war council without me?" Celia half-joked.

"Oh, I ought to be fine. Wartime or not, I've dealt with plenty of ambassadors. I know my way around political proceedings-"

There was a shout from nearby. Villagers began to scatter, fleeing into the nearby houses. Bells had been ringing all day, but this time their clattering was much less organized- much more panicked.

"What's going on?" her father asked, looking around. "Did something happen?"

Celia's heart began to pound.

 _"_ _What…? But… no! No, it can't be!"_

The familiar sounds were capped off by the horrifying bellow of a horn. Soldiers scrambled to ready their gear and made for the outer walls, but there was no need. With flashes of purple light and smoke, wave after wave of Illagers appeared within the outskirts of the village district itself, brandishing weapons and unleashing battle cries.

A raid had come. And once again, Celia was right in the middle of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end of Book One is near! There are only two chapters left of Part Three, and both it and the first book will be finished afterwards.
> 
> Ready for another raid? The two-part finale to Book One will be a long one, so stay tuned!


	19. Siege

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The raid on Luxmouth begins. Blake, Felix, and Emily scramble to equip themselves and join the defensive effort. Celia, in the thick of the fighting, tries to find a way to help and receives assistance from an unexpected source.

**Chapter 19: Siege**

"Wave One has deployed! Stand by, Wave Two!"

"Form up! We'll be departing soon!"

Illagers scurried to take their positions around the patrol captains, who'd been barking orders for at least ten minutes straight. Weapons had to be sharpened, enchantments prepared, and arrows stocked up. The ravagers, in their pens, were being saddled and roused for a good, old-fashioned pillaging. It was a typical raid setup: the evokers had announced a bad omen would be brought to a town soon, and the Illagers scrambled to arm themselves for what was to come.

Typical for _them,_ maybe. But one member of the crowd was a different case.

"You there! Witch!" one vindicator snapped. "You'll be with us, as part of Wave Three. I don't know what some loner garbage like _you_ thinks you're worth, but the chiefs say you've never joined a raid before. Just pull your weight, and then you can run back to whatever shack you came from. One raid's all you scum are good for anyway."

Varris held in a sigh.

"Yes, yes, I understand. I'll keep you all alive."

"Hmph!"

She was indeed a witch, a villager ostracized from society for dabbling in the darker arts of potion-brewing. Varris, and those like her, tended to live alone in the wilderness, where they could practice their craft undisturbed. Most witches were all too eager to lend their assistance to Illagers during raids, throwing in their lot with fellow exiles.

Most witches.

 _"_ _Just sit back and let them do their thing_ ," she told herself. _"Do the bare minimum, then I can go home and never have to see any of them again."_

"This is my first raid!" Varris heard a nearby pillager excitedly tell one of his cohorts. "But there are so many of us here. Are they _always_ this big?"

"Not usually. Someone must've triggered several bad omens at once, if a raid party this large is required."

"Heh. Suckers. Where are we going, anyway?"

"Luxmouth. Ever-Glowing, they call it. Just stick with me, kid; my axe has killed many a villager. You'll get to see a professional at work."

"Hee hee! There'll be no light for them now!

She looked around. The group she'd been assigned to consisted of a dozen Illagers, wielding crossbows and axes. The party overall was more like an army; there had to be well over two hundred raiders around the outpost, still waiting to be teleported to the battle. A few other witches were dotted about the crowds, but none were part of Varris' team.

There was a purple shine, and another cluster of Illagers disappeared.

"Wave Two has deployed!" someone yelled from the tower. "Stand by, Wave Three!"

It was almost time. The witch adjusted her hat, holding a splash potion of healing ready. She'd managed not to be drafted for any raids over her 45 years, and the thought of combat made her nervous.

 _"_ _Just sit back…"_ Varris repeated in her head.

Worst came to worst, she could use the magic from that odd sphere she'd found in her youth to defend herself.

"Wave Three, deploying!"

The world around her disappeared. Time to get it over with.

* * *

Luxmouth's festive mood had soured within minutes, and Felix watched helplessly as confusion ran rampant. Citizens scrambled to lock down their stores or barricade themselves in their homes. The word "raid" came up every few seconds from the clusters of passing troops, and he realized which direction they were running.

"They're all going for the village districts, aren't they?" Blake asked, sounding uneasy.

Both their eyes widened.

"Lady Celia!" Felix exclaimed. "She and the Duke haven't returned to the inner city yet, or we would've seen their escort!"

"You mean… she's still out there…?"

"Attention!"

The shout had come from one of the guards, fully decked out in diamond armor. What civilians weren't fleeing in a panic stopped to listen.

"Luxmouth's outer district is experiencing an Illager raid," he announced. "The militia is mobilizing to fight off the attackers, but if anyone is able to fight or provide additional support, your assistance would be greatly appreciated. Otherwise, keep yourselves safe and do not leave your homes until the all clear is given. The defensive force is assembling in front of the city district's wall. Join us there, and we will head to battle as soon as we are prepared. Spread the word!"

Without waiting for a response, he turned and continued up the street to join the defenders. Assorted people began to arm themselves with whatever weapons they had, following him.

"We've got to do something." Blake said.

"Right. Let's go-"

"Hold on just a second."

They both paused mid-step, turning to Emily. She looked pale, but had her arms crossed and was frowning at them.

"You think I'll just let you wander into a raid?"

Felix gave his sister a pleading look.

"We can help, Em! We know how to fight; Blake's taught me a lot!"

"None of us will be able to do anything like this," she said.

"I won't just sit here twiddling my thumbs," Blake shot back. "Not if Celia's in trouble-"

He cut himself short. Felix glanced between them as a look of confusion crossed Blake's face.

"…wait, what do you mean?" he asked.

Emily smirked and nodded down another street.

"We need to get some supplies first. C'mon, I know a shortcut back to the shop."

She broke into a sprint, nearly leaving them in the dust.

"The Silverhands have faithfully served Luxmouth for generations!" she yelled over her shoulder as Felix and Blake did their best to keep up. "No way are we leaving anyone from House Lumis in danger!"

"We'll need new weapons and armor," Felix said. "Blake, let's put our rewards to good use!"

"Sounds good to me!"

They navigated the backroads, passing scores more townsfolk who raced about in confused terror. Luxmouth had endured small raids before, but the sheer fright which had gripped the city suggested the current attack was a whole different beast.

_"_ _But why now? Why today, of all days? Did the guards just miss someone?"_

Felix grit his teeth. There was no time to be caught up on questions; Celia's safety came first.

The three made it to the shop and immediately set about gathering whatever ores were handy from the crafting room.

"Diamond armor would be great!" Blake shouted from somewhere in the back, while Felix rummaged through chest after chest.

"Do we have enough diamonds for it?" Felix asked.

"I'm not finding any more over here. Emily?"

"Got nothing! We're even short on iron- the orders over the last few days have damn near cleaned us out!"

They convened in the crafting station, tossing their collective materials onto the floor. Thirty-two diamonds and two and a quarter stacks of iron ingots were what they had to work with. They had plenty of wood for weapon handles, but armor was a trickier issue.

"A full set of armor takes 24 ores," Felix said, "but we've only got enough diamonds to fully suit up one of us. Would it be better to divide them between everyone instead, or focus our defense on one person?"

"You're better with an axe, but that also makes you slower. Maybe you'd be better off with the stronger armor in case you get targeted. On the other hand, if _I'm_ gonna be out front first then maybe _I_ should be able to take more hits. But we also have to consider what we'll be fighting with…"

He couldn't say he'd _missed_ Blake's "analytical" half-muttering to himself, but Felix certainly appreciated the amount of thought he put into the upcoming fight. Personally, he was too jumpy to exercise the same consideration.

"We don't have a lot of time," Emily reasoned, "let's just split up the armor and use the rest of the diamonds for our weapons."

After some deliberation, they decided on each making a diamond chestplate and using iron for the rest of their armor. Blake and Emily each used two of the remaining diamonds for swords, while Felix used three for an axe.

"Guess we're all set." Blake said as he slipped on his helmet.

"Just a sec," replied Emily, tearing up one of the floorboards to reveal a chest. She opened the lid and withdrew a crossbow and several fireworks. "Ah, perfect. Been saving this for emergencies."

"I didn't even know you _had_ that," Felix gawked.

"Figured it'd come in handy eventually. Okay, let's roll!"

* * *

"Hold the line! Don't let any of them near the Duke or Countess!"

"Stand your ground, men! Reinforcements are on the way!"

"Another group, coming in from the left!"

The battle raged. Celia, feeling nothing short of useless, stood back-to-back with her father in the center of the noble escort. The raid she'd escaped two weeks earlier seemed trivial in comparison to the utter _onslaught_ of Illagers appearing within Luxmouth's walls. Worse still, these raiders appeared more intelligent; the initial wave of crossbowmen had targeted their poor horses first, leaving their group effectively stranded in the middle of the outer district. Unable to flee, the knights had formed a defensive perimeter in the hope that help would arrive from the inner city soon. What guards and golems were on patrol nearby had joined the fray themselves, but weren't able to break through the Illager squadrons to clear an escape route.

She looked wherever she could for some way, _any_ way to contribute, but being stuck in the middle of a tight circle of knights left her without many options. Frustrated, Celia turned to her father for advice.

"Stay close to me," was all he would say, a solemn determination etched into his face. Whether he was as terrified internally as her, she couldn't tell, but on the outside at least he appeared _unnaturally_ calm. Screams and battle cries and clashes of metal barraged her ears from all sides, but her father remained steadfast.

Celia's foot bumped against something as the group edged its way up the street, away from the encroaching Illager horde. She glanced at the ground, and almost managed a smile.

_"_ _A sword!"_

Even if the guards wouldn't let her fight so long as they could remain standing, she at least wanted a weapon in hand. She held it tight, trying to calm her trembling arms. The dirtied iron blade had seen action already, and her stomach clenched at the thought of whatever fate its previous wielder met. They had passed more than a few bodies on their slow retreat already; some Illagers, some not.

"Ahahaha! Kill 'em all!"

"This is our time now!"

"No mercy! Take everything that isn't tied down!"

With every successive horn blow, the raiders became even more aggressive. The bodyguards were putting up a valiant defense against them, but it was only so long before the constant barrage would wear down their equipment.

One knight in diamond armor collapsed behind Celia, having been tackled by a vindicator. She yelped and cut down the attacker with a quick slash. A _twang_ sounded, and she brought up her sword to narrowly parry the incoming arrow. An Illager wielding a crossbow had noticed the brief gap in the soldiers' ranks and tried to take advantage of it. His effort foiled, she watched him snarl and fall back to look for easier prey.

"Thanks, Countess," the fallen knight said, hastily getting back up to resume his defense.

There was a sharp tug on her shoulder. Celia nearly fell against the Duke's side.

"Are you hurt?"

"No, I'm fine. I blocked the arrow, and it fell on the ground without hurting anyone."

He nodded, approval in his eyes for a split second.

"Sharp reflexes. Good."

"If only I still had the Fire Core," she said, shooting her gaze every which way in case she had to tag in for another knight. "I could put a stop to this!"

Whether it was the truth or not, she wasn't certain. Celia didn't have experience fighting with a Genesis Core the way Blake did, but she needed _some_ confidence she could make a difference.

"INCOMING!"

She stumbled again when the ground shook. Her eyes landed on the source of a heavy tromping, and she froze. A pair of ravagers, enormous beasts of burden for the Illagers, were charging right at them. The knights directly in their paths shuffled nervously and tried to form a barrier with their shields, bracing themselves. All around, the other raiders had backed off with vicious sneers and chortles.

"They'll crush us if we don't move!" the Duke shouted. "SPREAD OUT!"

The circle broke apart, knights and nobles alike scrambling to get clear of the ravagers. Though they managed to avoid the initial charge without casualties, they now stood with no defensive line and with a pair of monsters right in their midst.

Celia wound up with only two soldiers at her side, the three of them together facing down twice as many foes as they were forced away from the rest of the group. For a moment before the vindicators charged, she thought back to the great tree and her first battle with Felix and Blake. She recalled their narrow escape from the raid on the island. But there would be no distractions for her enemies that night. Now, she had to _win_.

Her blade rose and fell to deflect the incoming axe swings. Slow and clumsy as the vindicators were, she couldn't directly block their wild smashes lest her arms suffer their full force. One of them brought his axe down, but she stepped back in time for it to harmlessly crash into the ground. A stab was all it took to dispatch him. The victory was a small one; for every attacker that fell, another would take his place.

"We'll cover you, Lady Celia! You have to run!" one of the soldiers yelled.

She looked back. They stood in roughly the center of the village district, with still a ways to go until she reached the city district wall. Illagers swarmed everywhere, tearing up crops, destroying property, and chasing down the terrified citizens as they fled to their homes. Escaping would mean getting around them all, a difficult prospect even if she _hadn't_ been cut off from her main force of bodyguards.

Speaking of whom, the diamond-armored knights had rallied around the Duke, who'd taken up a blade and joined the battle himself. Celia hadn't ever seen him fight before, but swordsmanship training was customary for House Lumis, and she realized the desperateness of the situation had pushed him to action. A growing number of dead vindicators lay at his feet, with even the ranged attackers beginning to show reluctance at drawing his ire. Her father shouted command after command, organizing the guards as the ravagers charged again.

_"_ _Is this the same person I've known all my life…?"_

But she couldn't return to his side. Effective as his orders seemed in sparking morale for the knights, there were just too many Illagers between them.

He seemed to realize this as well. Their eyes met for a second which lasted an eternity, and Celia knew what he was telling her. She could do no more good there, fighting a losing battle of attrition.

"Get to the Duke if you can," she said to the pair of guards with her. "Defend him, and defend the civilians. I will return with our reinforcements, but you have to hold out."

"Understood. Go, Your Highness!"

With that she broke away from them in a sprint, trying to find the safest way back to inner Luxmouth. Illagers of all varieties were everywhere, and she thanked her lucky stars she hadn't encountered an evoker just yet. As much as it pained her to leave the citizens in peril, she knew she couldn't fend off the raid as she was.

_"_ _So many must see me, their countess, fleeing from the battle… I will make it up to them all. I_ _**WILL** _ _!"_

She spotted a narrow alley between two houses along a side path, where the fighting seemed less intense, and ran down it. Only one pillager was there, shakily aiming at something behind one of the buildings with his crossbow. Celia didn't give him the chance to attack and stabbed the raider from behind. She rounded the corner, intent on reassuring whatever villager he'd planned to shoot that everything would be okay.

Her surprise couldn't be understated when she instead came across the gruesome sight of at least a dozen Illagers' miserable forms, crumpled against the walls and in the dirt. Their wounds, slashes and bruises alike, appeared to have been viciously dealt, and several of their limbs looked suspiciously like they were facing the wrong direction. Others simply _lacked_ them, or even heads.

Curiously, she couldn't see corpses of any _other_ kind within the bloodbath. No villagers or humans, not even any animals or iron golem parts. The houses at least didn't seem to have been broken into, but whoever had killed the raiders had already left.

_"_ _The guards must have taken action quickly here…"_

Celia continued onward, keeping to the less active paths between buildings to slip past the majority of the raid. She could see the inner wall several chunks away, its gates all shut tight with guards patrolling the top and loosing arrows at any Illagers who got too close. Celia took cover behind a square of houses around a well, where the fighting appeared to have recently blown through. One of the homes had its windows broken and arrows protruding from its door, but there was no time to check on the residents. That could come when the raid was repelled.

_"_ _I'll get through here and make a dash for the inner district. The guards will see me coming."_

She slipped between two of the houses and made to pass by the well. A second later she was on the ground, a splitting pain on her head and something wet dripping down the back of her neck.

"Well, look at this! A runner thought she'd hide out here, and give us the slip!"

Celia blinked, desperately trying to get the stars and tears out of her eyes. Her hand found the iron blade's hilt, and she staggered to her feet to find a vindicator and a pillager leering at her after their ambush. The former seemed to have bashed her with the flat edge of his axe's head, not content to kill her immediately.

"What's your kill count, friend?" the vindicator asked.

"Four villagers so far. Not bad for my first time, huh?" cackled the pillager.

She knew she was too dizzy to stand her ground, but she kept the sword raised. This was _not_ to be the end.

The vindicator clicked his tongue.

"Not bad, not bad. Why don't you take this one? Look at her, she can't even look straight at us. Easy pickings."

"Hee hee… I'd love to."

Giggling to himself, the crossbowman stepped very close to her and raised his weapon. A poor choice- even in her disoriented state, Celia wasn't entirely helpless. Her blade moved, and he recoiled with a deep cut in his forearm.

"You got cocky," the vindicator said as impassively as he would discuss the weather. He made no attempt to attack her himself. "You have a ranged weapon, newbie. Use it at _range._ "

"Ugh… it really hurts… where's that damned witch?! I need a healing poti-"

Now _furious_ at the two, so casual in their crime against Luxmouth they were using it as a learning experience, Celia threw herself at the wounded pillager with a scream. He hadn't backed away enough to be out of her reach, and he collapsed with another gash in his chest. The vindicator barely reacted.

"Hmph. That idiot wasn't cut out for this after all. Okay, girlie, I guess I'll put you down myself."

Her thrust at him was easily knocked aside by his axe, and for her trouble she received a punch to the face. Already dazed from the first blow, she only had more trouble seeing him through a fresh wave of tears. Her face stung, her head throbbed, and she knew how dire the situation was, but she couldn't give up. She leveled her sword and took a step back, trying to find better footing.

"What's the matter? Have you realized you're about to die yet?"

The gray blur in front of her swung low. She stepped back in time to avoid losing a leg from the knee down, but the axe's head managed to cut into her calf. Unable to support herself from the pain, Celia stumbled as the Illager swung again, this time aiming for her neck.

Her drop saved her life, however, as by falling onto one knee she'd inadvertently dodged the attack. The startled vindicator's momentum carried his weapon clear over her head and past her. Celia capitalized stabbed him from below, and he fell alongside his cohort.

_"_ _Good… riddance…"_

She wiped the tears away and tried to stand. Putting any amount of pressure on her injured leg was agonizing, and her head wound left her dizzy.

"Where'd you two go-"

The woman who'd called out came around the corner of another house and stopped short at the sight of her handiwork. Celia's reaction undulated from relief to see she wasn't an Illager, then confusion at her purple robe and black hat, then fright when it occurred to her she was facing down a witch.

"G-get away from me…" she growled, hardly able to stand up straight.

She tried to adopt a defensive stance again, but her leg refused to cooperate. Though Celia wasn't much of a medical specialist, she felt fairly certain she was losing more blood than was safe. And without good footing, she realized she was helpless to fight another ranged enemy at _any_ distance. The witch stared, holding a splash potion withdrawn from somewhere in her robes.

Her eyes squeezed shut as the bottle hit the ground by her feet. Magic fumes rose, swirling around her and seeping into Celia's body. She held her breath, waiting for the pain of a potion of harming to set in. Never having experienced one before, she could only imagine-

Strange. It didn't seem to be hurting her. On the contrary, her injuries were _healing_. Her vision cleared up, and even her head wound vanished altogether. Still clutching her sword, she gave the witch a perplexed stare.

"…I didn't see you," she said, shuffling past the well without looking at Celia again. "Never wanted anything to do with this…"

Though she was wary of what the raider could have been up to, she decided she wouldn't waste time asking. Healed up and ready to keep moving, she stole a glance at the last stretch of plains to the inner wall.

She gulped. There was no cover, and a squadron of Illagers stood between her and safety. It would be impossible to sneak around them, yet if Celia stayed put more raiders might find her. Ravagers had taken to charging headfirst into the two gates, flanked by eager vindicators and pillagers. The archers atop the wall put up a valiant effort to stop the breach, but their arrows barely fazed the thick-hided beasts. Counterattacks from the pillagers soon forced them to cease fire and fall back altogether.

_"_ _The gates won't hold forever. I have no choice but to distract them… but what would hold their attention?"_

Celia didn't have any items which would be effective against a large group of mobs. With no other options, she decided to take the most reckless course of action. She stepped out from her hiding place and strolled toward them with a shout.

"HEY, UGLIES! Looking for me?!"

She liked to think such improper language was generally beneath her, but the situation was dire. At least it worked; several of the Illagers turned to glare at her. The ravagers continued battering the gates- she needed to do more.

"Who are you supposed to be?" one of them yelled back. "You're not running in fright; think you're some kind of hero?"

"I am Countess Celia Lumis, next in line to lead this city!" she declared, putting on the most bombastic tone she could. It came a bit easier to her than she would have admitted. "And I have struck down _scores_ of you monsters! Why, I personally possessed the bad omen which called all of you here tonight!"

 _That_ did the trick. A vindicator in the middle of the party signaled for the ravagers to stop, and all of the Illagers faced her.

"Is that true?" she heard one ask. "Where's an evoker, we need 'em to confirm it. There's no way _this_ scrawny brat could kill one of us."

"Don't believe me? Ha! Underestimating me will be your last mistake. Your evil deeds end here, at my hands!"

A beat passed.

"Tell you what, we'll break into the inner city and get our retribution in a minute," one of the pillagers announced. "First, let's teach the girl a lesson. Sic her!"

The ravagers roared and stomped toward Celia. She'd expected this to happen, but it occurred to her she didn't know what to do _now._ There was nowhere to run, and she certainly couldn't take on all of them.

_"_ _Did I just doom myself?"_

She snarled. Fine, at least she would go down fighting, in defense of her city. Maybe her distraction could give the guards a few precious seconds to rally for a counterattack.

_"_ _Forgive me, Father… I will give Mother your regards."_

Celia stood her ground, hoping she'd at least be able to weaken one of the ravagers. The cluster of enemies was just over a chunk away.

Something flew into their midst from the top of the wall, and exploded with a shower of colorful sparks. The ravagers stumbled and fell; the Illagers were _launched_ in every direction. Only one very confused vindicator escaped the blast, but he was downed a moment later by an arrow.

"I see the Countess! She's on the other side of the raiders!"

"For Luxmouth! CHARGE!"

The gates flew open. Given cover by the archers returning to their positions atop the wall, a line of guards, golems, mounted knights, armed civilians, wolves, _everyone_ poured into the village district. A horn blasted nearby, and another wave of Illagers appeared, but this time they were met head-on by the influx of fighters and were driven away from the gates.

Reinforcements had arrived.

* * *

Felix would have to thank Blake for training him again after the fighting was over. Without it, he might not have lasted beyond his first minute in such a large-scale battle, but as it was he'd already clashed with and defeated a pair of vindicators singlehandedly. His new diamond axe definitely played a role in the victory, but overall he felt confident enough to hold his own.

Speaking of Blake, he'd just charged and taken down an evoker before any vexes could be spawned. Felix ran to join him, flinching as an arrow clanged against his chestplate. He was startled but unharmed, and shooting a glare at the offending Illager caused him to back away in apprehension before retreating outright.

"You okay?" asked Blake.

"I'm fine thanks to the diamond. It could've been ugly if we'd made iron chestplates."

"Heads up, another group's coming from the right!"

They were being rushed down by five vindicators who'd just appeared. Felix and Blake prepared to defend, but there was no need. A firework rocket soared into their midst and exploded, throwing them to the ground where they were easily finished off.

"She's a good shot," Blake said.

Felix looked to the wall, at the top of which Emily had joined the Lumis archers and civilian volunteers. She waved at him, then loaded another firework into her crossbow.

"Surprisingly so…"

"Hey! Celia's over there!"

He whipped around to see the Countess facing down one of the ravagers. The Illagers and the second beast had reformed their line and were blocking most of the defenders from reaching her, but _they_ were able to get around the skirmish. Blake's diamond sword flashed, taking down an unsuspecting pillager as they passed by while barely breaking flow. Soon enough they were right behind the ravager as it stomped toward Celia.

Felix found himself rushing at it with a fervor even he didn't recognize. His axe bit into its leg, and the beast broke off its charge with a thrash. Blake was on it next, stabbing its side with all the force he could muster. With every blow its attention swapped between them, confusing the ravager until Celia joined the fray and jabbed into its face with her blade. Striking its head together, they were able to put it down for good.

"Felix… Blake…!"

"Are you hurt, Lady Celia?" he asked her. She didn't look it- actually, she looked _overjoyed_ to see them- but he wasn't going to assume.

"I'm okay! And I'm so glad to see you both!"

The reunion was interrupted when the rest of their backup swarmed the Countess.

"You must get to safety, Your Highness!" one knight urged. "We'll escort you to the palace!"

"Don't worry about me! The Duke is further ahead and needs help, so hurry to his aid, all of you!" she ordered.

Most of them didn't look pleased to leave her out in the open, but they did as told and stormed onward. Felix turned to follow, only to feel a tug on his shoulder.

"Hold on! I believe we can put a stop to this much sooner if we use the Genesis Cores," Celia explained to him and Blake. "They should still be in the palace, but I have the authority to retrieve them."

She offered a bashful smile.

"Forgive me, but could I ask for your aid again?"

"I am at your service," Felix replied.

"Sure thing," added Blake, "I'll help however I can. After all the running we did two weeks ago, I'm ready to _win_ for once."

Celia blinked.

"You made that connection too?"

"Yeah. Even when Ray screwed everything up for the Usurpation, we _still_ had no choice but to run. Nothing's gonna distract the bad guys for us this time, right?"

Blake chuckled, but his expression changed after only a second. He looked more thoughtful- then concerned.

"…a thought occurs. Who brought a bad omen into the village?"

"We have not been able to identify the victim," said Celia. "But it hardly matters, does it?"

"Maybe not. But… well, what if this time, _we're_ the ones being distracted? What if the Usurpation's behind all this?"

The worry was evident in Blake's voice. Celia paced back and forth, a hand over her mouth.

"No… there's no way they'd think to do something like this unless… unless the Usurpers we faced escaped and passed on the idea to their superiors…!"

She rounded on them both, eyes wide.

"We have to get to the palace, NOW!"


	20. The Price of Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Varris encounters a bloodthirsty mob hunter in the outskirts of Luxmouth during her escape. Meanwhile, the heroes and the Usurpation race to secure the Bonemeal Cores. As they clash over their ownership, someone tries to use two Genesis Cores simultaneously- and the gravity of their power becomes apparent.

**Chapter 20: The Price of Two**

"Hold up."

The group stopped short at Esme's command. Ray looked over her shoulder at the Core tracker she so intently stared at, trying to figure out what could've gotten her attention.

"Something the matter?" he asked.

They were still making their way under Luxmouth in a cramped tunnel. Traveling single-file, one of her agents dug through the dirt blocks at the front while another replaced them at the back, ensuring nobody would be able to tell how they got in. A third agent held a lit torch. Ray, meanwhile, had his enchanted book to communicate with the other team. Even underground, they could hear the muffled sounds of fighting.

"The twin Bonemeal Cores seem to be in the same place, but the light Fire Core is held elsewhere. If we want all three, we'll have to split up."

Ray scribbled a message in his book, relaying the information to Tara. Seconds later, a reply appeared beneath his writing.

_[What about the unidentified dark Core?]_

"We've passed it by," Esme said when he repeated the question. "Based on our position I'd say it's right in the middle of the raid. The coordinates are moving away from us as well, so someone must already have it."

She frowned.

"There's _another_ one, too… a stone one, it looks like. Also in the midst of the battle. I don't know where it came from or why it only now appeared, but getting it would require quite the detour. It's even moving toward the unknown Genesis Core right now."

Once again, he transcribed her report to Tara for the Marshal to decide on. Being the middleman wasn't thrilling, but someone had to do it- he was just glad _she'd_ been subjected to the same role in her team.

_[Marshal Orion says we should leave them both and keep going. Our main priorities are the Bonemeal Cores; if we have to abandon the others to retrieve them and escape safely, so be it.]_

"We'll focus on the Bonemeal Cores," he parroted. "Follow them first."

"Understood. Agent Jade-2, divert four blocks to the right."

Thinking of the raid made him tense up. Though he'd lost the feeling of being watched- the "bad omen" from executing a captive Illager like several of their party had- after crossing beneath the town, the memories of the day he'd inadvertently ruined the operation were fresh on his mind. And it was all because of three Inlanders who'd refused to surrender.

 _"_ _Do you hate the Inlanders?"_ he recalled Overseer Fornax asking him not long after being assigned under her in the Industrial Division. _"And can you tell me why?"_

_"_ _Yes, Overseer. They've lived free of worry since our ancestors' exile. While we've struggled to survive in the wastes, the Inlanders have enjoyed this realm's peace for over a thousand years. I want to help bring them down however I can."_

She'd clapped him on the shoulder, barking a laugh.

_"_ _Good man. You'll do well with us, I know it. Now then, let's go introduce you to your squad."_

His grip on the book tightened. He'd let her- and his agents- down with his leadership.

 _"_ _They won't be in vain,"_ he repeated in his head over and over, _"Lime Squad's deaths won't be in vain."_

He needed a distraction from thinking about them, if only for a minute. Being stuck in a dark, narrow tunnel didn't offer much inspiration to let his mind wander, and the thought of the raid above would only circle him back around to the Inlanders who'd wronged him. Instead he decided to ponder the mysterious artifact they had passed by.

_"_ _Most of the Cores we've found have been identified already, and the new trackers should be able to tell which is which as long as the Industrial Division's database has the corresponding attribute logged."_

Genesis Cores were divided into the light and dark aspects based on their color, but the Industrial Division's Genesis Core Research Branch (the GCRB, of which Ray, Esme, and Overseer Fornax were members) had recently proposed a system to further classify them into one of three broad groups.

Material-type Cores were those which could manipulate preexisting matter but could not generate new blocks from thin air, such as Ray's own Grass Core and the Stone Core which had just shown up. The effect-type Cores, including the Bonemeal twins, were capable of applying a condition to their surroundings or their wielders, depending on the attribute. Somewhere between the two were the element-type Cores, which could both manipulate _and_ create. Examples included Tara's Ice Core, the lost Fire Core, and Marshal Orion's Water Core.

Unfortunately, the current model of tracker had no way to differentiate what type the unknown Core belonged to- such distinctions could only be made through observations and testing. So Ray could only guess what powers they may have just missed out on.

They pressed forward, digging closer and closer to their targets.

* * *

One would think Illagers would lose morale and begin to retreat when a raid was going poorly. But if the increasingly harsh horn blasts and battle cries were any indication to Varris, they were actually _more_ motivated as the new wave of soldiers began to overtake them. She swore they were single-minded in their endeavors, never knowing when to cut their losses.

_"_ _Oh, well. No skin off my back if they all get themselves killed."_

Varris wandered between the houses on the periphery, where she couldn't hear more than the occasional skirmish which was easily avoided. As the witch crept along, searching for a clear path to the outer wall to make her escape, an unsettling realization came to mind.

_"_ _Strange, I haven't seen any corpses around here other than Illagers. Have the townsfolk been picking up their dead…?"_

The Illager bodies only became more common as she walked down the side paths. She'd been around the undead long enough to be accustomed to the sights and smells of death, but even _she_ shuddered when she passed a small alley where an entire squadron of raiders appeared to have been wiped out with extreme prejudice. One body at her feet lacked a head _and_ both arms. She sucked in air between her teeth when she noticed its torn purple robe.

_"_ _Another witch… another poor outcast who got too eager for payback and threw in their lot with people who wouldn't care for them."_

"H-hey, get over here quickly!"

Varris jumped, whirling around with a splash potion of harming in hand. Then she paused, unsure if she was seeing things.

A pillager stood in the back of the alley, clutching a crossbow in his quavering- scratch that, his whole _body_ shook like he'd been in the cold for hours. His abdomen sported a nasty gash, and he didn't look long for the world without help.

_"_ _What's this? One of them is SCARED?"_

She couldn't hold back the tiniest of smirks.

"You've got to heal me," he pleaded. "Some _thing's_ tearing its way through us around here! Give me a potion, then come help my squad!"

Varris threw her splash potion at the wounded pillager's feet. His eyes widened, and he shrieked as the harmful fumes seeped into him. Within seconds, he'd keeled over and begun to twitch.

"Serves you beasts right," she whispered on her way past. "I hope that dulls the pain."

She got away from the dying raider as quickly as she could. In her haste she neglected to consider _what_ had him so terrified, but when she reached a house nearest to the cobblestone wall the answer presented itself.

More dead Illagers littered the ground in varying states of dismemberment. Only one trembling, unarmed vindicator remained standing, backed up against the wall by a hunched figure in a dusty brown cloak. He didn't even have the chance to look hopeful at her arrival; the figure drove an axe into him so hard the weapon's head snapped off. He didn't seem bothered to only be holding a splintered stick, quietly chuckling as the vindicator stumbled and fell. Varris, too petrified to run, could only watch and shakily draw another potion of harming from her sleeve.

A pair of fangs rose from the ground and snapped shut around the man's foot, eliciting a growl that barely even sounded human. He looked to his left, where an evoker lay on his stomach with one hand weakly raised after conjuring the attack. The man pried open the teeth with the stick and approached the fallen Illager, his mild limp not stopping him from bringing his foot down on the evoker's head. A sickening _crack_ reached Varris' ears.

_"_ _What… IS this…?"_

The person turned to her next. He was a human- she _thought_ so _,_ anyway- and an impossibly old one at that. His skin, browner than the average villager's, was wrinkled and thin, and his dark gray hair and long beard were a mess. The man's face was hidden by said scraggly locks, but she could barely make out a pair of lapis-blue eyes behind them, the only part of him which suggested any kind of _life_ in this walking corpse.

He said nothing, only offering a wide, sinister smile. The man pulled an iron sword from the torso of one unlucky pillager, starting toward Varris.

"I-I have no quarrel with you," she said, finally finding the strength to take a step back. "I just want to leave."

"I'm sure you do," he croaked. He showed no sign of stopping.

"Please. I haven't hurt anyone, I swear it. We don't have to fight."

She focused on the wall, only a chunk away. Seeing the cobblestone blocks comprising it made a tingle spread from her chest to her fingers. Just a little concentration was all she needed…

" _You_ don't have to fight. _I've_ hunted mobs my whole life, and I'm not about to stop now."

The man lightly dragged the tip of his sword along the grass as he approached, stepping over the bodies of his previous victims. His smile was supplemented with a faint chuckle.

"Every one of you is nothing but a dropped item waiting to be claimed," he said. "But I'll admit I've never met a witch who didn't want to attack me. You won't be instantly forgotten like all the others… how does that sound?"

The cobblestone she was looking at twitched, shifting forward in the wall ever so slightly. Varris raised a splash potion of harming, shaking the bottle to show him its hazardous red contents.

"Last chance. Just let me go."

"Oh…? You DO plan to fight? Guess you're no different from the rest after all… _now sit still and die for me!"_

He lunged, sword raised to stab her. As he closed the distance, she yanked back at the air with one hand. The cobblestone flew from the wall and struck the man's head from behind, sending him lurching forward.

"What the _hell?!"_

Varris swung her arm. The block raised and slammed into him again from above. He hit the ground with a _thud_ and didn't get up. As she walked past, however, the man croaked something else.

"There's something… familiar…"

She put away the harming potion and withdrew a healing one, tempted to give it to him. But the brutal display hadn't left her mind- she hadn't even left the _scene_ of it yet- and his refusal to spare her didn't leave the witch feeling overly generous.

"I don't know you, but… I feel we've met somewhere… somehow…"

His head slumped, and he didn't move again. Varris dropped the block, breathing hard.

"Sorry. But you gave me no choice."

Something was happening to him. The old man's body glowed dark violet and disappeared into thin air, leaving behind nothing but some assorted items- sticks, torches, coal, and the like. None of them looked to have much value, apart from one.

Where the man's chest had been a moment prior sat a translucent, glassy sphere filled with some unknown gas. It gave off a soft purple light, one she found familiar: Varris had come across an identical item, which gave her limited control over stone, as a child. But when she hesitantly reached for it, the orb abruptly vanished like his body.

Now more bewildered than anything, and wanting to just get as far away as possible, she broke into a run for the wall- though not before picking up the evoker's dropped totem of undying. A wave of her hand shifted the stone blocks aside, then she was free.

_"_ _I don't know what any of that was about. But I'm not coming anywhere near this place ever again."_

None of the Illagers saw her leave, and the mobs which emerged at night wouldn't attack a witch. Finally safe, she began the long walk south, into the wilderness.

The last thought she spared Luxmouth was a hope that the girl she'd healed earlier was okay.

* * *

"They're underground!" Celia was yelling. "They must have used our own strategy against us, getting into the city right under our feet!"

When the three entered the inner wall again, the Countess had enlisted the help of four iron-clad cavaliers to get them and Emily (who climbed down from the archers' platform) back to the palace in a hurry. The more Blake considered the possibility their enemies were responsible for the raid, the more it made sense. Ray had proven persistent already, and if he'd survived the last encounter it wasn't a stretch to think he would report what happened. Using a raid as an _intentional_ distraction was, Blake begrudgingly admitted, ingenious.

_"_ _But the innocent people getting caught up in it… does the Usurpation just not CARE about them?"_

Though he desperately hoped they were just overthinking the situation, he didn't trust his luck enough to reassure himself.

"Do you know where the Cores are kept?" he shouted back to her as the group of eight galloped up the street.

"I do, but the Fire Core is held separate from the Bonemeal Cores! To secure all three, we'll have to split up!"

The battle couldn't be heard anymore by the time they reached the gates to the courtyard, but Blake didn't feel any less anxious. Felix, who dismounted at his side, had his axe gripped so hard his knuckles were turning white from the strain.

"I will retrieve the Fire Core from the vault," Celia announced. "The rest of you, make your way to the garden… the Bonemeal Cores are there, beneath the great tree."

She'd clearly forced the words out. Blake suspected she had just given up some big secret to them.

"If the Usurpation is here, Lady Celia, you shouldn't travel alone," one knight said. "Let us accompany you."

The decision came down to her and two of the soldiers heading down one branch in the entrance hall, while Blake, the Silverhands, and the other two left to find the Bonemeal Cores.

"I know the quickest way there, follow me!" Emily yelled, already tearing down the corridor.

The palace had been breathtaking on his first visit. Now, with only flickering torches lighting the empty halls and their hurried footsteps echoing all around on the tiled floor, it was unnerving. Imagining the Usurpation somewhere under his feet didn't help his nerves.

_"_ _Under a giant tree…? Has it come full circle already?"_

Recalling the day after he'd left home brought another, more worrying thought to mind.

He'd killed plenty of mobs in his life. Undead, creepers, spiders, even the dreaded Illagers. And he'd done it without batting an eye; the monsters were mindless beasts, and although Illagers were more intelligent, their unreasonable drive to commit violent and evil acts was enough of a moral buffer to allow Blake not to feel _too_ broken up about killing them.

But the Usurpation was different. His enemies were _people_ , humans ostensibly just like him. And try as he did to rationalize the "him or them" mentality, Blake simply couldn't shake a feeling of revulsion at the thought of ending a life.

_"_ _And Celia… killed TWO of them before the raid. If it bothered her, she didn't let it show. I wonder, should I ask her about it? As awful as it is to think about, I might HAVE to do the job sometime."_

Life or death. He could do nothing more than remind himself what was at stake- and unsurprisingly, he felt no better. His stomach twisted at the memory of the Usurpers he'd attacked with saplings on the island. For all he knew, he'd _already_ killed people.

_"_ _I've already thought about this before, haven't I? Am I going to get this jumpy EVERY time the Usurpation's nearby?!"_

They reached a set of double doors. Another pair of guards in iron armor shouted for them to stop, but the two knights escorting them explained the situation, and the group of seven entered. Blake gawked at the small jungle within; overgrown plant life was _everywhere_.

"ALL of these trees look pretty big," said Emily, craning her neck to see the tops. "Which one was the Countess talking about?"

"If I had to guess, it'd be that one."

Felix was pointing toward the middle of the- could it even be called a room?- the miniature indoor _forest_. The ceiling featured a dome of stained glass, and it was a good thing; a tree there had grown so tall it would have broken through the roof were it not curved upwards.

"Probably. She said we had to look 'under' it, right?" Blake asked. "Let's go dig around."

The garden impressed him more the further in they went. It even featured a small river winding around the middle in a U-shape, with simple birch bridges reaching over it. Low-hanging branches formed arches overhead, their leaf blocks just within reach. He broke apart a few as they walked, collecting a few saplings.

_"_ _Might come in handy… they sure did last time."_

Blake came to a stop in front of the giant tree. Of course, it had nothing on the mountainous specimen from his home, but it was still at least four times the size of the average oak. This could _only_ be the work of a Bonemeal Core. Part of the river flowed beside it

"I hope she doesn't mind if we tear up the grass a little…" Felix said.

One of the guards who'd just joined them scratched her head.

"Just a bunch of dirt, isn't it?"

"It's nothing that can't be easily fixed later," added Emily.

They got to digging with their hands, pulling up dirt blocks at the base of the tree. It didn't take long for Blake to come across something: a sticky piston. Further investigation revealed more like it, connected by redstone dust.

"So there's a hidden entrance!" Felix remarked. "I recognize this setup. The pistons would pull the dirt apart to make a staircase if activated!"

Blake shrugged.

"I guess it's a little late for that; we're already brute forcing our way through this."

For the briefest of moments he thought he saw Felix's shoulders slump. Had Blake just taken the fun out of it for him?

_"_ _I'm glad HE'S finding something to enjoy right now…"_

It wasn't long before they broke through into a tiny hollow beneath the tree. Blake stooped to fit, and his breath caught at the sight. The crevice was overgrown with grass nearly bending under its own weight, surrounding a pair of dirt pillars. Soft yellow and purple light shone onto him from the twin Bonemeal Cores atop them, tranquil yet mysterious in appearance as usual. He grabbed the purple one first, feeling its familiar energy tingle in his palm. The odd voices weren't heard when he touched it- perhaps they were a one-time thing?

_"_ _Wonder if I'll hear 'em with the other Core?"_

As he reached for it, however, the dirt block on which it sat crumbled and broke apart. The yellow Bonemeal Core fell into a hole below, landing in a gloved hand. Blake's shocked gaze moved along the arm until he was face-to-face with a familiar metal mask and goggles.

"YOU!" Ray roared.

The grass under his feet began to twist. Blake clambered out of the hollow in a panic, still clutching the purple Bonemeal Core.

"It's them!" he shouted at the six nervous onlookers. "The Usurpation's down there!"

He made a run for it, but didn't get far- between them and the way out, another hole appeared in the dirt, out of which climbed a second familiar face: "Lady Tara," as he recalled her grunts saying. Her mouth was hidden behind her black bandana, and her hood covered most of her head, but her eyes were as unexpressive as before.

"Inlander," she said, drawing a sword, "it's been a while."

More people emerged behind her: three troopers wearing black cloaks like hers, a fourth with similar garb but a bright red bandana, and a man with his robe tucked back like a cape. He wore neither a face covering nor a hood, revealing a bald head less unnaturally pale than the other Usurpers. At the sight of the Bonemeal Core, he smirked.

"You recognize him, Dame Tara? Is this one of the three you told me about?"

"Yes, sir. He and the boy with blond hair escaped us."

Blake held his diamond blade close, staying next to the others. Behind them, Ray climbed out from under the tree along with three people dressed like the agents he'd first escaped. A young woman in gray robes stood beside him lastly, wearing a similar mask and green-lensed goggles- by now, Blake had noticed the pattern. They must have been from different groups of the Usurpation, and weren't just wearing whatever rags they found.

_"_ _They're more organized than they look…"_

"But where is the third one?" the man behind Tara asked.

"She called herself Countess," Ray said, grass snaking around his free hand. He held the yellow Bonemeal Core close to himself, but didn't bind it. "I bet she's too important to be here with them."

"Surrender!" one of the guards snapped, drawing his own sword. "All of you!"

Bold as he was, the Usurpers had them surrounded and outnumbered twelve to seven, not the most ideal position to make demands. The unfamiliar man stepped forward, giving them a mock-bow.

"My name is Orion. Ranked as a Marshal in the Usurpation Army, Expansion Division. I understand you've given our troops quite a bit of trouble."

"You just said a bunch of random words," Blake shot back, trying to sound confident. "And we only fought because _they_ attacked us."

"Well, can you blame them?" he chuckled. "You refused to relinquish the dark Bonemeal Core, according to Sir Ray. It's very important to us; think of how easy it'd be to feed an army with just _one_ of those. And you Inlanders are hoarding _both._ "

"Can I blame them for wanting to _kill_ me? Yeah, I think I can!"

Orion shook his head, sighing.

"I fear there's no reasoning with you. We're in a hurry, so I'll make one offer: you hand over the Bonemeal Core, and we'll be on our way. Nobody needs to get hurt."

None of Blake's allies responded or even lowered their weapons. The message was clear and unanimous; to finalize their decision, he crushed the purple orb against himself. Its energy spread throughout his body like it had the first time, and among so many plants he felt even stronger.

"So be it. Looks like Sir Ray and Dame Tara will have their chance for revenge after all."

Whatever traces of amicability could be seen in Orion's visage disappeared, replaced by a scowl.

"Let's make this quick. Kill them."

The grass underfoot quaked. Blake, realizing what was about to happen, spun to face Ray with a sapling in hand.

_"_ _He'll tangle all of us at once if he gets the chance! Gotta keep him busy… or remove him from the fight. A direct hit should do the trick!"_

Ray saw it coming this time and threw himself aside as the tree sprouted. He avoided a full blast, but wasn't fast enough to avoid a glancing blow to his arm- specifically, the arm holding the other Bonemeal Core. It flew from his hand, bouncing off the great oak's bark and falling into an overgrown patch of grass. The tree he'd grown fell to the ground, separating Ray from the rest of the Usurpers on that side.

_"_ _Not really what I had in mind, but that'll do. Oh, I know…!"_

Blake concentrated on the area where it had landed. Grass, weeds, and flowers sprouted at supernatural speeds and grew to equally absurd heights and densities, forming a dense mound of plant matter over the Core. It wouldn't be hard to find, but at least it was out of the Usurpation's grasp for a bit longer.

_"_ _And I doubt they'll be able to spend time rummaging for it in the middle of a battle."_

Speaking of time, he had none to get a better grasp of the situation: their enemies had begun the attack. In an instant he was on the defensive against Ray yet again. But he wasn't as rusty as he'd been the first few times he met the Usurpation. His training with Felix had paid off tremendously, and Blake parried the incoming strikes with relative ease.

Around him, his friends and allies were standing their ground to similar success. The four guards proved their mettle and then some, not only holding off multiple grunts at once but even driving them _back._ Felix was side-by-side with his sister, smashing apart thrown ice blocks while Emily returned fire whenever she could with arrows rather than her fireworks. Causing explosions within a confined space full of plant life would be _asking_ for trouble.

However, their predicament wasn't any less dire. They were still surrounded, still outnumbered, and still unable to put down their foes for good. The grunts appeared to fight with more organized tactics, tagging out one another for a quick breather while ensuring they had no such downtime. Try as Blake might to dispatch Ray before the Grass Core proved too much of a nuisance, his fervent enemy _refused_ to let up on the pressure. He kept himself at just beyond arm's length, and at that close of a range it was impossible to focus long enough to use a sapling against him.

_"_ _I'm too cramped! And if I'm not careful, I might set it off right in the middle of everyone!"_

By then, he couldn't tell what Tara or Orion were doing; sparing a glance behind him would only give Ray an opening.

"Who are you?" his foe hissed when their blades clashed again. "I want to know the name of the one who got my squad- my _friends_ killed."

His eyes narrowed.

"I'm Blake. And I'm not going to apologize for running from people who wanted me dead for no reason."

They traded more swings, unable to land any solid blows against one another's armor. Blades of grass crept around Blake's ankles, rooting him in place.

"No _reason?!_ You Inlanders have lived the easy life for over a thousand years! We've clawed and scraped to give ourselves a chance at revenge on you, Notch's Chosen. Do you feel _special?_ "

Something moved in the corner of his vision. The girl in goggles like Ray's had moved around the fight's periphery and was aiming something at Blake: a device identical to the one which had removed the Genesis Core from him when he first arrived. It must have been for close-range use only, otherwise Blake figured he would've already lost the Bonemeal Core. Neither Usurper seemed to notice he'd caught on.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, you LUNATIC!"

He realized Ray was standing right next to the tree he'd grown. The girl took a step closer on his right.

"You don't have to. Once you're dead, we'll put the Bonemeal twins to better use than you could EVER-"

Getting him to talk for just another moment bought Blake the time he needed to concentrate on the tree. A branch sprang from the trunk, knocking Ray off his feet and into the bend of the river flowing nearby. The girl yelped and backed away, unwilling to rush him without support.

A series of crashes resounded behind Blake. Perplexed, he turned to see four of his allies still standing. The Usurpation grunts had fallen back, one of the Luxmouth guards was on his knees holding a wounded arm, and another was facedown, unmoving. Felix and Emily both sported scrapes and dents along their armor, but remained on their feet alongside the other two soldiers, all desperately blocking a veritable storm of thrown ice blocks.

Orion had his hands out to the sides with his palms up, above each of which a block's volume of water materialized from thin air. Tara, in front of him, continually froze and threw his supplied projectiles at the group at a much faster rate than she could have back in the village. Blake took his place alongside Felix to help smash them, but it was clear exhaustion would set in for them much sooner than for their enemies.

"Time to wrap this up," Orion said. "Let's hit them all at once."

Water arose from the river and swirled above his head into a much, _much_ larger mass than he'd created on his own. Blake gulped when Tara turned it to ice.

_"_ _If we don't move it'll crush us, but we'll be easy pickings if we split up!"_

Tara didn't give him any time to come up with a plan. Her arms swung forward, the ice ball following suit- until it exploded in midair. Though shards went everywhere, nobody was hurt.

Orion jolted, looking over his shoulder. Tara did the same with a low growl.

"What just hit it?"

"Sorry I'm late, everyone."

The Countess stood behind Orion, wearing fully black armor and holding a matching sword. One arm was raised, another fireball flickering in her palm. At her side, the two guards who'd accompanied her stood at attention in enchanted diamond armor.

Blake couldn't help but smile. This time, she'd come to _their_ rescue.

* * *

Celia had never worn Netherite armor before. So scarce was the material that Luxmouth's vault had enough for exactly one full suit and a single sword; it was almost mythical in its rarity. Her upbringing hadn't given her many chances to wear armor at _all_ , and here she was in the most durable suit of it modern technology could provide. In any other circumstance, her father would no doubt have scolded fiercely her for taking it or for giving her two escorts more valuable armor without permission- especially if her hunch that the Usurpation was behind the raid hadn't turned out to be true.

Fortunately, or rather _un_ fortunately, it had. She'd returned to the garden, Fire Core bound, and arrived at the scene of a battle which made her equal parts nervous and bemused. Her eyes flicked to the different sights: Usurpation grunts surrounding her allies, Tara with her usual expressionless stare, Ray pulling himself out of the river, and two other higher-ups she didn't recognize also partaking.

"Who is this?" the bald Usurper closest to her asked. "Is she the redhead you spoke of, Dame Tara?"

She nodded.

"That's her, Marshal Orion. And it would seem she has the light Fire Core."

"Their two Cores against our three," he remarked, fully turning to face Celia. "I have the dark Water Core, you know. Do you feel confident you can win?"

 _"_ _I don't know what that does, but this matchup doesn't sound favorable_ …" she thought.

"Lady Tara! I have it!"

Everyone's attention turned to one of the black-garbed troopers, who'd snuck around the skirmish to a large pile of overgrown plants. He held a shining yellow orb above his head, as if taunting them.

"I've got the light Bonemeal Core! Here, take it!"

He threw it over Felix and Blake's group. The Core sailed in an arc, right into Tara's waiting hand.

"Make that our _four_ ," Orion said. "You must be the Countess I've heard so much about. Tell me, do you intend to fight us with the odds in our favor?"

Celia wasn't exactly paying attention to him. Her gaze landed on Tara, and she frowned.

"Your minions call you 'Lady,' yet this man calls you 'Dame.' What title _do_ you have?"

"Dame Tara is a Usurpation Knight under my command," answered Orion, "much the same as Sir Ray and Dame Esme."

"But that's… none of an Inlander's business," Tara cut in. The slight hesitation in her voice, the _slight_ uncertainty with which she tried to insult Celia in front of her apparent superior, made something click in her mind.

Celia stepped forward, shooting a glare at her.

"I understand now. You've maintained an aura of impassiveness around us, and I'm willing to guess around your allies as well. But I can see right through that- calm collectedness doesn't come naturally to you, does it? It's an _act._ "

Tara stiffened. Frigid air swirled around her arms.

"You don't know anything about me, Countess."

"I know how doggedly Ray has pursued me and my friends. When he caught up to us on that island, I saw how motivated he was- how _determined_ he was to avenge his fallen comrades. He fought on in their memory. But you? The only impression you've given me one of a person who just wants to feel _better_ than those around her."

The garden had gone still, all attention shifting between the two of them. Felix and Blake were giving Celia puzzled looks.

"I see you only have a few of your soldiers left," Celia she, gesturing to the three troopers matching her outfit. "The rest must have fallen victim to the raid. Yet here you stand, not expressing the same vitriol of your fellow officer. No, you're actively _trying_ to suppress how angry you are… but at us? I don't think so. Do you even care about the losses, or are you just upset because the deaths made you _look bad?_ "

She took a deep breath.

"Perhaps I don't know much about you, Dame Tara of the Usurpation Army. But I know a thing or two about being a good leader. And you, conditioning your troops to worship you despite such callous disregard for their lives, are anything _but._ I hope the aloof, unexpressive demeanor you've worked so hard to build makes you proud at least- you monster."

Tara's eyes twitched. She raised the yellow Bonemeal Core as if showing it off.

"Okay, Countess. I'll _emote_ for you… I'll _express_ myself."

"No, DON'T!" shouted Orion.

He was too late. With an enraged scream, Tara broke the Core against her body.

All of the nearby plants began to tremble, the smaller ones leaning toward her. A shiver passed through Celia, and her breath clouded. Around Tara, layers of frost had formed on the grass, the flowers, even the trees. Confused mutters resounded through the Usurpation's troops, all except Orion. His expression alone was one of abject _terror_ as he stumbled away from his subordinate.

Tara hugged herself, taking heaving breaths through her nose and stomping a foot on the frozen grass. Her eyes and mouth were squeezed shut, and she doubled over as if holding in vomit. Overhead, the leaves violently rustled. Saplings were thrown in every direction.

"What's going on?!" Ray yelled. "Marshal, what is this?"

Orion didn't answer. He raised an arm, and water from the river surged into the air toward Tara. Whatever he might have been attempting was in vain; all of the water froze over and crashed to the ground before it could reach her.

"You're out of control," he hissed. "You can't wield _two_ of them at o-"

Celia, mouth agape, watched a sapling which had landed near Orion's feet spring into an oak and launch the man into the lower branches of the great central tree. He and a collection of plant debris fell, but he couldn't even hit the ground before a _second_ sapling grew in midair and slammed him down, Thrown well over a chunk by the outburst, the Marshal landed headfirst near an appalled Ray and didn't move again. A purple Genesis Core materialized on the ground beside his body. The midair tree remained suspended above Tara, but froze over like everything else.

When she saw more saplings swirl around her allies, Celia finally found the strength to move again. She threw a wave of fireballs above the berserk Usurper, igniting all of the plants before she could use them to hurt anyone.

_"_ _This room is nothing but ammunition for her! I have to… I… I don't have a choice but…"_

She looked at the undergrowth all around them, hardening her resolve. There was only one option.

Celia threw several fireballs into the garden. Within seconds, all burned.

* * *

Ray wondered if just staying in the water might have been safer as he stamped out another small fire which spread too close. The Inlanders and Usurpers alike were scrambling to gain distance from the blaze, any semblance of order evaporating. Trying not to lose his _own_ composure, he picked up the dark Water Core ejected from Marshal Orion's corpse.

**_"_ ** **_This river's got everything they need. They'll be able to set up their new homes here just fine."_ **

**_"_ ** **_You're right… hold on, do you see those structures in the distance? What could they be?"_ **

Disembodied voices appeared to be a staple of the Genesis Cores- he'd heard them discuss flora upon receiving his Grass Core, and something similar when he snatched the light Bonemeal Core mere minutes ago. Ray had no idea what they meant, but that didn't matter to him at the moment. Were he not witnessing the result of trying to wield two Cores at once, he might have tried to use Orion's to douse the flames.

Tara had lifted off the ground altogether, hovering a block in the air with her head and arms slumped like she'd been pulled by an invisible string. The Countess was attracting her attention by throwing more fireballs, a diversion her allies used to flee around Tara as the nearby plants erratically froze, thawed, grew, and burned.

The Inlander he'd focused on- Blake- lagged behind, helping up one of the Luxmouth guards who'd been disabled during the fight. As the pair hobbled past Tara, a yellow shockwave surged from her suspended body and enveloped the pair. Neither looked injured, but the dark Bonemeal Core flew from Blake as if forcibly ejected. It sailed away, into the flames of a nearby shrub. The wave stopped just shy of Ray, who still had one Core bound and another in his hand.

"No!"

Ray and Blake locked eyes, drawing their swords again.

_"_ _He's right there. He doesn't even have a Core anymore. I could kill him now and avenge Lime Squad... I could get revenge at last. But…"_

He saw Tara's troopers grouped together, desperately backpedaling from the encroaching flames. He saw the Jade Squad agents trying to clear a path back underground to escape. He saw Esme looking utterly helpless in the face of such chaos. He saw Ruby-13 skirting around the area Blake's Core had flown into, searching for it despite the peril.

He saw the Marshal's body, and realized it would be up to him to organize their withdrawal. Continuing to fight wouldn't be worth the risk.

Blake appeared to reach a similar conclusion and settled for giving Ray a glare before retreating after his allies. That just left the Usurpation in the burning room, facing down a deranged Tara.

"Esme! Take this and clear a way out of here!"

He threw the Water Core to her. She flinched upon catching it- no doubt hearing the voices for the first time- then looked at him with wide, fearful eyes behind her mask.

"What are _you_ going to do?!"

"Hand me back the extractor! I'll deal with Tara."

Esme tossed the device to him, still looking uncertain. She bound the Core and began to clumsily manipulate the water, sweeping a few waves onto the ground and dousing the flames in a small area.

"Everyone, come this way!" she shouted.

The Jade Squad agents immediately rallied to her. Ray blanched at the sight of Crimson Squad's troopers not running from their leader, but _approaching_ her despite the carnage. They shouted and begged for Tara to come to her senses, falling on deaf ears. Heart pounding, he ran toward them.

"Hey! It's not safe, get to Dame Esme!"

"Shut up!" one of them spat. "Lady _Tara's_ our leader, not some failure like you! She'd never forgive us if we can't save her!"

He paused. Were they serious?

_"_ _The Countess… she was right all along, wasn't she? They were all happy to follow Tara's lead with blind faith, and she never ONCE returned it. She made them into a bunch of zealous maniacs!"_

Overthrowing the Inlanders was a noble cause, but doing it for the sake of their _leader_ rather than their people? Ray hated the thought of agreeing with his enemies more than anything, yet in that moment he felt nothing but _fury_ at the unearned pedestal on which Tara's impressionable troops had placed her.

He didn't need to mull it over for long. The last survivors of Crimson Squad were caught up in a wave of frigid air she let out and froze solid on the spot. Ray could do nothing as flaming trees teetered and fell onto them- they'd chosen their fate.

"Sir Ray!" he heard someone cough through the smoke. "I have the d-dark Bonemeal Core!"

It was Ruby-13. Against all odds, he'd found it within the burning undergrowth.

"Get into the hole and go," he ordered, "join up with Dame Esme and get out of here! I'll be right behind you!"

The trooper complied, rushing for the doused patch. Tara rotated in midair to face him, saplings hovering toward Ruby-13's path, but Ray was faster. Throwing caution to the wind, he leaped and dragged her to the ground, pinning the berserk Knight under him. As Ray primed the extractor, he got a look at her face for the first time since the Countess had entered the fray.

More specifically, her eyes. He wasn't even sure they were still _there_ ; a pair of black voids in her face stared back, with no pupils to speak of. Not once did he think he'd miss the blank gaze she was known for, yet here he was.

_"_ _Damn it all…!"_

Ray activated the Core extractor just as he began to feel ice forming on his shoulders and back. He withdrew both light Genesis Cores, storing them within the device itself for the time. Tara slumped and fell unconscious, ceasing her frenzied ice and plant control.

The fire, however, was still going strong. Ray put the extractor away in his inventory, Cores and all, and threw his incapacitated ally over his shoulder. He didn't feel right leaving behind the bodies of Marshal Orion or Crimson Squad, but there was nothing to be done. Barely avoiding a fallen flaming branch, he retreated into the hole after Esme and ran as fast as he could down the newly made tunnel.

_"_ _You don't deserve this… but I'm not going to abandon anyone if I can make a difference."_

His cohorts made better time than he'd expected. When he caught up to them, they'd dug their way under the streets of Luxmouth and onto a beach beside the port. Wooden rowboats and larger "piston-powered" ships were lined up along the piers, all empty of civilians or guards. The raid had served its purpose well; nobody was there to stop their escape.

Jade Squad's troop carrier came to a stop on the beach, piloted by the four agents who hadn't accompanied them into the city. Everyone climbed aboard, and they sped off just as a few stray guards arrived at the ports.

"Are you hurt?" Esme asked him.

"I'm fine, and I think Tara is as well. She's just unconscious- more importantly, I was able to get the two Cores out of her."

He managed a bitter laugh. The Marshal was dead, and three of the four scouting squads under his command were all but obliterated, but they'd gotten away with the twin Bonemeal Cores in the end.

"Mission accomplished, I guess. Let's get the hell out of here; we have a _lot_ to report."

* * *

The sun was rising, and Luxmouth was quiet.

Residents of the village district wandered the streets, going about repairs on the ransacked homes and tending to the injured. The death count, while not as high as it could have been due to quick defensive measures on the parts of civilians and soldiers alike, was hardly negligible, and some Illagers had even made it into the inner district before being dealt with by guards. As Blake heard one advisor to Duke Xavier explain, it was the worst raid the city had endured in over twenty years.

Things weren't much better at the palace. Blake and his allies had escaped Tara's rampage without any losses, and the fire hadn't spread into the rest of the building, but only a hill of ashes remained in the garden. Worse still, the Usurpation had gotten away with both Bonemeal Cores. The bountiful daily harvests they provided were cut short in a single night, and strict rationing would have to be implemented until a new agricultural plan could be put in place.

Though the Duke had managed to survive the fighting, when he entered the throne room surrounded by guards and advisors he certainly didn't _look_ alive. Celia was nearly in tears as she hugged her father, who could only return a thousand-block stare.

Blake, as far as he knew, was only allowed to stay because he'd been with her during the Usurpation's heist. Felix and Emily were with him, just as visibly drained.

"It seems I have to thank you yet again for putting your lives on the line to protect the Countess," the Duke told them. "You stepped up in a big way."

"We couldn't stop the Usurpation from stealing the Bonemeal Cores, My Lord," Emily said, more solemn than Blake had ever seen her. "Forgive us."

He heaved a sigh and shook his head.

"Don't apologize. If anything, the fault is mine for not fortifying our city better. _I_ should have suspected something like this could happen- _I_ should have taken more measures to ensure our safety."

Blake didn't feel deserving of any praise either, but decided against objecting to the Duke. Celia wiped her eyes and spoke up.

"Father. I must set out today for Tenebyss."

"You still intend to go? So soon after-"

"You _know_ there's no other choice. We cannot afford to wait; as soon as the Usurpation learns of what happened here, their morale will spike. They'll only get bolder, perhaps enough to launch an attack _themselves_ sooner or later!"

Xavier pinched the bridge of his nose.

"You're right… but our supplies are scarce. We have to reequip our knights, repair damages, and strengthen our defenses as soon as possible- to say nothing of the food shortage. I'm not sure we can _afford_ to send you with a proper escort."

"I'll go alone if I must!" Celia insisted. "I'm not going to stand by any longer!"

He knew what had to be done. Blake took a deep breath, then stepped forward with his hand raised.

"Duke Xavier- My Lord- uh… I'll go with her."

Both Lumis nobles' attention snapped to him. The Countess' eyes were wide as dinner plates, but the faintest trace of a smile tugged at her mouth.

"Blake…!"

"I will lend assistance as well," said Felix, "if you would agree to it."

The Duke gave them a thoughtful stare.

"Hm… I mean no offense, but I won't lie: I don't like the thought of sending Celia out with just the pair of you protecting her. On the other hand… you've certainly proved yourselves capable fighters, and she tells me you're quite the team together."

He slumped on the throne, rubbing his forehead.

"This is a difficult time. And if I could have my way, none of this would be happening in the first place. Bah… desperate measures, then. I approve. Miss Silverhand, will you also be accompanying them?"

Emily scratched behind her head.

"I saw my brother and Blake fighting together during the raid, and I saw them in action against the Usurpation. While I'd like to say I know my way around a blade, they're much better than I am. Instead, My Lord, I'd like to pledge my and my company's services to assisting in the reconstruction efforts. That's where I can do my best work for Luxmouth."

The Duke nodded.

"So be it. I suppose a smaller group would have less of a chance of detection, and your help here is most appreciated."

Blake met Celia and Felix's gazes. Both of them gave him uncertain smiles, which he returned.

"I will gather what supplies I can for your journey. In the meantime, the lot of you are to get some rest after last night's havoc. The staff will prepare rooms for you all."

And so Blake found himself using the palace's guest washroom once more. He didn't register much of the luxury this time before flopping into a provided bed and blacking out for a few hours.

They reconvened at noon, and after a quick meal were escorted all the way to the outer gates of Luxmouth. Seeing the damage to the village district firsthand send a fresh wave of anger through Blake; innocents had been put in the line of fire as a _distraction._ What depths _wouldn't_ the Usurpation go to?

Celia and the Duke were already waiting at the wall. Also present were advisors, ambassadors from other cities, and more soldiers than he'd seen in one place before.

"While we sort out the counteroffensive here," Xavier said, "it will fall on the three of you to rally support from Tenebyss. As a united front, we can turn the tides of this conflict."

"We won't fail you, Father," Celia swore.

"Make sure you two come back okay," Emily told Blake and Felix. "I'll miss having you in the shop."

Her brother raised a brow.

"Just that, Em?"

She cracked a smile and ruffled his hair, much to his chagrin.

"Seriously though. Be safe out there."

"Your supplies, Countess," said a man dressed in familiar white and gold robes, presenting Celia with a shulker box. "They ought to serve you well."

Another surprise was in store: three saddled horses were led to them by the knights they'd fought the Usurpation with.

"You'll need to move quickly," one of them said. "These girls will get you there. Come and say hello."

Blake approached a dapple gray horse with a bushy mane, recognizing her as the one he'd ridden back to the palace the night prior. He gave her muzzle a pat, not really knowing if that was the right way to endear himself.

"Her name's Cassie," the knight by her side told him. "A little stubborn, but she'll come through for you when it counts. Do you know how to ride?"

"Not really."

"That's okay. These three are a good team; they'll follow the leader just fine. All you have to do is hold on and let her do the work until you get comfortable."

He already felt unsure about this, though he decided to keep that to himself. Blake mounted up on Cassie, who did as promised and fell into step beside Celia's horse. Felix, looking similarly out of his element, followed suit.

"Ride fast, and stay safe," Xavier said. "We're counting on you."

"Thank you all for your support," Celia announced. "We will succeed. We will gain Tenebyss' assistance. And all of us WILL defeat the Usurpation, standing together!"

A cheer rose up. With that, the Countess turned to Blake and beamed at him despite the hardships they'd endured.

"I didn't expect to travel with you two again. Words can't express my gratitude for _your_ help, either."

He grinned.

"Sorry, you're not getting rid of me that easily. It seems I'm stuck with you until this whole mess is over."

"I'll follow you as long as it takes for us to win," Felix added. "Lead on, Lady Celia."

"Very well. Forward!"

They set off into the plains, leaving Luxmouth behind. Blake looked ahead with a newfound resolve; "purpose" in the world be damned, there were more important things to deal with. Now, he was on a mission.

And accompanied by his new friends, he felt ready to see it through.

**End of Part Three**

* * *

He awoke in a bed, staring at the ceiling as a familiar tingle shot through him. This feeling hadn't recurred in many, many years, but it was just as invigorating as the last time he'd died.

_"_ _I think I was almost 100 this time… that has to be a new record."_

The man sat up, rubbing his head- he wasn't really injured, but he swore he could still feel the impact of the cobblestone blocks against his skull. They'd certainly left a mark, one he wouldn't forget any time soon. And the one responsible, that witch who'd actually stood her ground to his amazement, was still out there. He knew she was; if not even _he_ could kill her, surely nobody else would be able to.

 _How_ the witch had gotten the better of him was what interested him the most. She'd displayed a magical power like none he'd seen before, but he couldn't shake the feeling of familiarity which had sank in moments before his death. Despite that, he didn't concern himself with questions; all he wanted was to hunt her down and pay her back. The thought of vengeance, he had to admit, almost made his mouth water.

And he _would_ find her, because the odd recognition he'd sensed from the witch was still present. In fact, he felt inexplicably inclined to travel south, drawn by an unseen trail to whatever power she possessed. It tugged at him, _beckoned_ him.

_"_ _Hmhm… I've never had prey quite like this before."_

He stood and exited the tiny wooden shack he'd been squatting in for the past month. It appeared the raid had been quelled, but Luxmouth's village district was still in disarray, with the residents milling about and trying to put their community back together. Consequently, nobody paid him any mind as he approached the River Lux. That close to the sea, its flow was calm enough for him to get a look at his reflection.

A face he hadn't seen in a very long time smirked back at him, with short, brown hair and darkened skin. He lacked a beard, but there would be time to grow one in again; if he had a surplus of _anything_ , it was time. Even his old clothes, a teal shirt and dark blue pants, were back and in perfect shape. In his previous life they'd worn out decades earlier, but thanks to his unique ability they were in their prime again- just like him.

He wandered to one of the gates at the outer wall, mingling with a group of outbound travelers and exiting Luxmouth after a brief inspection by the guards. They seemed perplexed at his lack of items, but agreed to let him leave without issue. Not that he cared what _they_ thought; he didn't plan on returning for at least another lifetime. There was nothing for him there.

_"_ _Maybe I'll see what this 'invasion' is all about, too… no, no, don't get ahead of yourself. Payback comes first."_

His target was to the south, blissfully unaware of what was coming- blissfully unaware she had gotten the attention of a Legendary Hero.

**END OF BOOK ONE**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Usurpation War will be on a brief hiatus until I have enough content from the second book ready to be posted, and Book Two: Rallying the Inlands will appear as a separate story in the series when the time comes. I hope you'll stay tuned until then- the adventure has only just begun.
> 
> In the meantime, consider leaving a comment to let me know what you think of the story so far. Feedback, good or bad, is always appreciated. Thank you for reading!


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